emergingmarket
Latest
Facebook built a Snapchat-like app for developing countries
Facebook has launched a new Snapchat-like app less than a year after it killed its old Snapchat-like app Slingshot, according to Recode. What's special about this one is that it was built specifically with emerging markets in mind. The new application called Flash was reportedly created by a team within the social network in charge of building apps for developing nations. They also could've been the ones behind Facebook and Messenger Lite. Flash is less than 25MB in size, which is much smaller than Snapchat for Android that's roughly 70MB. It was also built to work even in areas with limited connectivity.
Apple starts iPhone payment plans, makes retail deals to grow India's smartphone market
China is no longer an emerging market at this point. It's now the top market in the world for smartphones, and Apple has worked hard to get a foothold in early. So now that China is covered, where's Apple headed to next? India seems to be the answer, as Apple has slashed prices and implemented payment plans in that country, aiming to get the brand there before the market reaches full maturity. India has long been watched by the tech industry as an emerging opportunity. Salaries are rising as smartphone and other technology get cheaper, which makes for a lot of people with money to spend are looking for tech to buy. And so Apple has been making big plans there, adding local distributors, making deals with retailers and providing a big marketing push designed to move people up from cheaper cell phones into the mid-level smartphone market. iPhone shipments to India have tripled over the last quarter or so as well, so the company is definitely expecting an increase in sales. Apple CEO Tim Cook says, however, that India isn't the first country on Apple's list as an emerging market. Still, you take opportunities where you can get them, and it certainly seems like India is on the verge of becoming a real smartphone market juggernaut.
Lenovo releases Q3 earnings report, shipments rise, profits soar
Lenovo turned in another stellar earnings report yesterday, following up on a huge Q2 with an encouraging Q3. For the fiscal quarter ended December 31st, the PC maker saw its net profits reach $153 million, marking a 54 percent increase over last year's $99.7 million. Revenue also rose 44 percent last quarter to a record $8.4 billion, thanks in large part to a surge in PC sales. In mature markets, Lenovo saw revenues increase by a whopping 81 percent to $3.6 billion, while emerging market sales reached $1.3 billion, marking a 13 percent rise over the previous year and accounting for about 15 percent of the company's global revenue. The manufacturer saw particularly strong growth in China, where it now enjoys a market share of 35.3 percent, its highest ever. Lenovo attributed much of this to strong smartphone and tablet sales in China, while confirming plans to release a Smart TV within the country, as well (according to CEO Yang Yuanqing, it should hit the market in April). Laptops, however, remain the company's bread and butter, comprising 53 percent of its total revenue last quarter, with sales reaching $4.5 billion -- 30 percent higher than last year. For more numbers, check out the full press release, after the break.
Orange offers free Wikipedia access to mobile users in Africa and the Middle East
There are more than 70 million Orange customers across Africa and the Middle East, but only about 10 million are able to access the web from their handsets. That gap may be narrowing, though, now that the provider has decided to offer free mobile access to Wikipedia for users throughout the region. Under the program, users with an Orange SIM card and a web-enabled phone will be able to access the site as many times as they want, without incurring any data charges. Heralding the partnership as the first of its kind, Orange says its new initiative should make it easier for emerging market consumers to access the online encyclopedia, which Wikimedia Foundation director Sue Gardner described as a "public good." The offer is slated to roll out across 20 countries in Africa and the Middle East, beginning early this year. Find more details in the press release, after the break.
Nokia CEO: cheap Windows Phones can come 'very quickly'
We'd raised our own concerns in interviews with both Stephen Elop and Microsoft's Aaron Woodman in the past week that Nokia could have difficulty pushing the Windows Phone platform low enough to fill the holes left by Symbian's departure in the bottom rungs of the market, but the Nokia CEO is making it very clear that he thinks that won't be a problem. In a talk with Finnish journalists on Friday, Elop said that it has become "convinced" that it can hit "a very low price point" and do it "very quickly," a strategy that will be key to converting significant swaths of Symbian market share into Windows Phone market share without losing it to other manufacturers or platforms. Of course, something tells us the leaked design concept (pictured right) doesn't represent the types of hardware Nokia has in mind for those low price points -- but no single device or market segment is going to take Espoo to the promised land here.
Vodafone 150 lays claim to 'world's cheapest phone' title, ST-Ericsson works on thrifty 3G
There are only two possible reasons for why a gadget freak like you would want a cheap phone: you're either a very sensible person (who probably got mugged once), or you're saving up for the phone of your life. Oh, who are we kidding? We all want a nice phone for next to nothing, right? The legendary Motorola MOTOFONE came close, but check out these new bad boys -- the sub-$15 Vodafone 150 and the sub-$20 250, produced by TCL. Fine, they may look more like toys than your everyday eye candy, but you do get five hours of battery, SMS, two games on that mini monochrome screen, and even an LED torch on the back -- and what's more, the lowly 150 is claiming the holy grail "world's cheapest phone" title that every manufacturer with an interest in emerging markets would kill to own. For an extra $5 there's even a larger screen in color (!), not to mention FM radio. If you want one, you better start flying walking to either India, Turkey or Africa where the phones will be launched over the next few weeks, or you can just gaze at Fonehome's hands-on video of the 150 after the break. On a similar topic, ST-Ericsson has launched the U6715 mobile platform with 7.2Mbps HSPA modem for Linux-based OSes (Android and MeeGo, to name a couple), and expects participating manufacturers to deliver sub-€100 (about $137) smartphones in the first half of 2010. Apparently, the trick is to use "structurally-less expensive silicon, without compromising the end user experience." With a 1000mAh battery, the platform will deliver up to 40 hours to musical entertainment -- twice that of the Nexus One with 1400mAh -- and up to seven hours of 3G talk time on one charge. Pretty sweet at first blush, except there's no mention of what the CPU would be clocked at. Regardless, all we want is some smooth video playback from the "elegant and powerful multimedia engine" -- is that too much to ask?
Nokia rolls out 2720, 2730, and 7020 on the low end
Nokia has a tendency to roll out its low-end fare in big batches -- you might think of it as the polar opposite of, say, an NTT DoCoMo launch -- and the trend continues with today's announcement of the 2720, 2730, and 7020 (try saying that three times fast). The theme here is bringing internet capabilities to the very bottom-most reaches of the market, and indeed, all three devices offer email and basic web access. Starting with the 2720, you've got a super-basic clamshell with a mirrored finish that'll retail for €55 (about $74) in the third quarter. The 2730 switches over to the candybar form factor and becomes Nokia's cheapest 3G phone at just €80 (about $108) in the third quarter, while the 7020 follows in the fourth quarter with a concealed external display and 2 megapixel cam.
DTS looks to expand its reach with Neural Audio acquisition
DTS, the company responsible for all those DTS-HD Master Audio tracks that you adore, has just announced that it's picking up Neural Audio in order to expand its reach. The company that it's acquiring is described as an "audio technology business that licenses branded intellectual property solutions for the creation, distribution and playback of music, movies, broadcast programs and video games," and DTS is hoping to use this to get branded technology offerings into satellite radio, automotive and gaming markets. The deal cost DTS a stiff $7.5 million for "certain assets and liabilities," and it may end up forking out up to $7.5 million more over the next five years if "certain conditions" are met. Way to look ahead, DTS -- now, we're totally expecting 7.1-channel Blu-ray surround systems in our 2010 model year vehicles. Cool?
India's Tata Motors developing uber-cheap plastic automobile
Although Tata Motors has recently been talked about for its air-powered City Cat, the next big small thing to roll off of its assembly lines may only be fit for the fearless. The reason, interestingly enough, is not that the automaker is aiming to release a comparatively small four-door car for under $3,000, but that "much of it will be [made of] plastic." Reportedly, the company "has yet to release [an official] name for the car or even a sketch of what it might look like," and moreover, the "low manufacturing costs in developing countries" were pinned as a primary cause for the incredible affordability. And you thought driving around in a $30,000 sedan made entirely in China would be frightening.[Via Fark, image courtesy of TIME]
Motorola to roll out cellphone-charging bicycle in "emerging markets"
Here's one we weren't exactly counting on seeing. Motorola's cheif executive Ed Zander rolled into a packed room here at CES on a bright yellow bicycle, topped off by having Queen's "Bicycle Race" cranked in the background. Yes, oddly enough, Motorola is coming out with a self-branded bike for "emerging markets," which translates into countries where energy sources are scarce. While the company has seen declines here in America due to a very saturated handset market, nearly 5 million folks per month are going mobile in China, thus the need to penetrate those potentially lucrative third world areas. The vehicle will sport a cellphone charging system to provide a way to energize those handsets so intently desired all around the globe. As expected, a cradle on the handlebars would house the mobile, while the motion of the pedals would generate electricity to recharge its battery pack. While this might not sound convenient or even worthwhile in a place like America, "more than 500 million Chinese people rely on bicycles as their primary mode of transportation," which could also mean that half a billion folks in China will soon be cruising the streets while doubling as an AC adapter.[Via Textually]
