12 Contestants for Battle of the Apps II

Twelve brave contestants will be competing to win our second "Battle of the Apps" contest, held on 14th December at Bisous, 9/F LKF Tower, 33 Wyndham St, Central, Hong Kong. Let us know your coming on Facebook, LinkedIn or our webform.

1) Frenzoo: We have our first contestant for Battle of the Apps! The 3D gauntlet has been thrown!The first 3D fashion game on mobile (now in beta). 10,000 installs so far. Download the Android app here.

2) 8Securities: Our 2nd brave challenger describes themselves as, "your own powerful and customizable trading portal where you can select the markets, trading tools, news & research, videos and social apps that are right for you. Our fully integrated social network will give you direct access to a smart community of like-minded investors and traders to learn from and exchange ideas."

3) Rapfox player: The battle will be televised! Rapfox Player is a free, easy and high performance video player, that supports rm, rmvb, mkv, avi, mp4, mov and 3gp video files. You can play high definition videos in Android phone directly. Download from the Android Market.

4) The Pinbook: The bashful Blackberry enters the fray! "Pinbook is a social application that allows anyone to reach out and meet new people. Designed to be compatible with BBM™, Pinbook allows you to connect with other BBM™ users through the new BBM™ Connected feature. Working along with the BBM™ social platform, Pinbook easily integrates with your BBM™ to add new friends". Download from Blackberry App World.

5) OpenBar: a real-time guide to happy hours and more in Hong Kong. In their own words, "Openbar is the largest interactive bars and clubs directory in Hong Kong. With the GPS location, it tells you which bars are nearby you in list or map view, each bar having its own profile with full description. Openbar is a free iPhone app that covers all bars in Hong Kong, Kowloon and even New territories. Openbar goes further than a simple directory with functions such as a Current Happy Hour Locator, Real-Time action finder and spotter, Facebook Friends Locator, Check-in function that allows you to receive instant exclusive offers from participating bars and more." Download from iTunes.

6) Tell me@1823: Even the Hong Kong SAR Government is joining the Battle of the Apps! Come vote for efficient government! Their description, "Makes it easy for you to report anything that bugs you around town to Government for action. The app allows GPS, photo and audio functions to be used along with messaging, keeps a record of reports you have made and alerts you to responses made by Government agencies." Download from iTunes.

7) Where is Dr.Sun?: The Honourable Dr. Sun Yat-sen (or his footprint on Hong Kong) joins as our 7th contestant for Battle of the Apps. Come vote for heritage! "An augemented reality application with mini-games, designed to introduce people in a fun way to Dr Sun Yat-sen and his historical footprint on Hong Kong." Download on iTunes.

8) Live Tracker Monitor: An interesting B2B app has come in as contestant #8 - LiveTracker - connect your Playbook to your Blackberry users to see where your colleagues are hanging out! Download here.

In their own words, "With this application, you will be able to see the exact locations of the tracked BlackBerry smartphones on a world map. Once you have the device ID (PIN) of a BlackBerry smartphone with Live Tracker, you will be able to track the exact location of that device. The location is then stored securely on our servers and gets pushed to your Playbook when it is connected to the internet."

9) Digital and Music Matters: The paperless version of Digital and Music Matters Conferences, with event listings, speaker and musician profiles, live video and DJ feeds joins the Battle of the Apps. Bring on the Rockers! Download the app here (multiple options).

10) The Exonerator: Now here's an unusual app that's come in as our 10th contestant, "The Exonerator - Your Alibi when you need one. Lets you prove where you were, anytime." Download on iTunes.

Tempted? There's more..."The Exonerator won't disclose your location to anyone else but you. But it will record it on your phone, ready for when you need it. The Exonerator keeps recording your whereabouts even when you are using your iPhone for other things, like reading your email or making a phone call. Just choose the time and The Exonerator will pinpoint your location on a map and show the approximate address of where you were then."

11) FTP Server: a  very practical free software, FTP upload and download, via your Android phone or tablet. Download from Android Market.

12) RiceCooker Cat: A game inspired by the inventor's cat, which always curled up inside a rice cooker! I guess anything can become an app nowadays! Download from iTunes.


And finally...

13) YumTable: Born in Australia in April 2011, our 13th contestant is a "SoLoMoFo" app - "social, location, mobile, food" for finding and booking great restaurants meals. Download from iTunes.


Each contestant will have five minutes to present their work, we then take a few questions from the floor. At the end of all the presentations, the audience votes for their favourite app, who is then awarded the top prize of US$500 in Amazon web hosting credit plus a Kindle Fire!

Come join the fun and spread the word via Facebook or LinkedIn.

Battle of the Apps IV

Calling all entr-app-reneurs!

Due to the popularity of our past three contests, we are running our 4th "Battle of the Apps" on 19th June, 2013. The competition is open to application creators, developers and publishers who participate in a live contest in the heart of Hong Kong's Lan Kwai Fong party area. All apps welcome, be it on iOS, Android, Blackberry, Windows, Chrome, Symbian or any other operating system (TV, tablet or smartphone).

Networking will start at 6:30pm, with the battle from 7:00pm sharp on 19th June 2013 at Bisous, 9/F, LKF Tower, 33 Wyndham St, Central, Hong Kong.

Submit your app via the form below, join the event on Facebook and spread the word on social media using the shortened URL "bit.ly/battleofapps4".

Curious to learn more? Read about Battle of the Apps I, Battle of the Apps II, Battle of the Apps III and the winners of BoA III. The gold winner, Coach's Clipboard produced by JL Plus, went on to win the Best Asian Smartphone App Contest and has been accepted into Nike+ Accelerator programme.

RULES OF THE BATTLE
Each contestant will have 5 minutes to show off their creation and will have 2 minutes for questions from the floor. Due to time limitations, there will be a maximum of 10 contestants with prizes for the winners.

At the end of the evening, the audience will vote with their feet fingers (good, old fashioned, analogue stickers!). The most popular app will win great prizes and a full interview slot at an upcoming Web Wednesday with all the associated promotional benefits.

If you're a contestant, sign up to join the fray below. Otherwise, do help me spread the word - using "#battleofapps" and shortened URL "bit.ly/battleofapps4" so that we can attract a wide range of contestants.

Fill out my online form.

Contestants for Battle of the Apps V

A wide range of mobile app entrepreneurs will be taking to the stage for our 5th Battle of the Apps, held at Bisous (9/F LKF Tower, Central, Hong Kong), 6:30pm - 9:30pm on Wednesday 20th November, 2013.

This event is open to anyone interested in seeing the latest Hong Kong start-ups in the mobile space. Let us know that you're coming - and see who else will be there - by signing up via Facebook or MeetUp.

As app development is so hot in Hong Kong at the moment, the contest has been over-subscribed. Unfortunately, we've had to turn down a few entrepreneurs but, no need to worry, we will hold another battle of the apps in early 2014.

Here are our ten brave contestants, listed in order of contest registration. (Each app description comes from the contestant themselves. If we cannot find the intro video, we have just posted a screenshot of the app).

Contestant #1 - Easy Taxi
Using a passenger’s location, the app contacts the nearest taxis to the user and allows the passenger to see which taxi has accepted their request. By showing the driver’s picture, license number and phone number as well as allowing the passenger track in real time how close the taxi is to their location, getting a taxi in Hong Kong has never been safer and more convenient. Read more on their website, follow them on Twitter, Facebook and Google Plus. Download the app from iTunes, Google Play, Blackberry Apps World and Samsung App Stores.



Contestant #2 - Maaii
Maaii is a new mobile communications app for iOS and Android devices that combines calls, chat functions and social network integration. Read more on their website. Follow them on Facebook, Google Plus, LinkedIn, Twitter, Weibo and YouTube. Download from iTunes and Google Play.



Contestant #3 - meToo!
meToo! is the world's first location based app that allows anybody to quickly create, share, comment and rsvp to microevents with friends, or like minded people nearby. It's a Twitter-like service but with event management options. A micro-event on meToo! is a small, informal and spontaneous gathering with your friends, or people nearby with the same interest, hobby or demographic profile. Read more on their website. Download from iTunes.



Contestant #4 - Spottly
Spottly is an app that aims to make it really easy for anyone to create and share their travel notes of places they’ve been to or places they want to go to. Spottly is seed investment by 500Startups, a Silicon Valley early-stage seed fund and startup accelerator founded by Dave McClure, back in April 2013. Matt Cheng of Cherubic Ventures is leading Spottly’s angel round. As of October 14, 2013, Spottly has been selected by Apple to be featured on the App Store’s “Best New Apps” in 15 countries, which includes Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Brunei, Cambodia and Laos. Read more on their website. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Angel List. Download from iTunes.

Contestant #5 - Flying Saucer
Flying Saucer is an Augmented Reality app that enables static objects, documents or geolocated areas to be linked to dynamic and immersive interactive content - everything from games, videos, websites, 3D animations, youtube and social media feeds can be linked by the app to objects such as a buildings statues, magazines, posters, walls and even the sky. More on their website. Follow the creator on Twitter. Download from iTunes.

Contestant #6 - Radio Chinwag
The app is designed for you to practise speaking English and to get feedback on your language abilities from your peers and from teachers. Feedback is in the form of ratings on Fluency, Vocabulary, Grammar and Accent, as well as individual comments. You can build your own community of English learners with the same age, location or ability as you. Read more on their website. Follow on Twitter and Facebook. Download from iTunes and Google Play.\

Contestant #7 - HiBaby Diary
HiBaby Diary is the first App that allows writing and printing the multimedia diary of your baby's first year. Memories you and your family will keep forever. HiBaby Diary is a perfectly web-integrated system for iPhone and iPad that lets you share reading and writing the most important moments of your baby’s first year of life with your family and friends, in real time: text, pictures, video. Once completed the diary can be printed too in a big luxury customized book available with a choice of bindings. Read more on their website. Follow on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, Vimeo, 56 (China) and Youku. Download for iPhone or iPad (different versions).


HiBaby Diary - The App from hibaby.biz on Vimeo.

Contestant #8 - Chope
Chope offers diners instantly confirmed reservations at some of the finest restaurants in Hong Kong and Singapore. Read more on their website. Follow on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus or Instagram. Download from iTunes or Google Play.

Contestant #9 - Petrol Usage Tracker
With Petrol Usage Tracker users can easily keep track of their fuel consumption. Simple and easy to use, the app provides a handy possibility to get an overview of this important household expense. Create a profile for your car and enter the distance driven and the amount and price of newly added petrol to get your average fuel spending calculated for you. The app fully supports metric and imperial units and is able to show a car's fuel consumption in liter per 100 kilometers or miles per gallon. The fuel expense can be shown in any of the world's currencies and can even be converted into another currency at the current exchange rate! Visit the developer website (S4BB). Follow them on Twitter or Facebook.

Contestant #10 - Spotdesign
Spot designs you like in the street, exhibitions and so and and share it with your friends. Post your content to buyMeDesign. Read more on their website. Follow buyMeDesign on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Pinterest or YouTube. Download from iTunes.



Good luck to all our contestants. Come see these budding entr-app-reneurs in action at Web Wednesday's popular Battle of the Apps event on 20th November, 2013.

Winners of Battle of the Apps IV

Thank you to the brave entr-app-preneurs who took to the stage at Battle of the Apps IV on 19th June, 2013. There was a wide range of apps looking to tap into our desire to find good food, network more efficiently, educate our  children and simplify the way we pay for things. Read about the eleven contestants here.

My creative team at Inspire Digital Asia designed this great backdrop to set the tone of the evening, a subtle reference to the highly popular HBO show, Game of Thrones.

Each app start-ups had five minutes to present, followed by two minutes of questions. we then opened the vote to our discerning audience of 100 judges who placed their chips or, be more precise, smiley face stickers on their favourite app.

The Bronze Award went to GOnnect: a better way to find, make and keep connections. Download from iTunes. Follow on Twitter (@gonnect) and Facebook.

The Silver Award went to ZNAP, by MPayMe: a new way to simplify payments. Download from iTunes, Google Play or BlackBerry App World. Follow on Facebook and watch on YouTube.

And, the Gold Award went to... Little Rewards: an incentive programme for reluctant children that teaches goal setting and the value of rewards, including money. Download from iTunes. Follow on Twitter (@littlerewards) and Facebook.

Congratulations to the three winners! We hope that the rest of the contestants enjoyed the battle, made some good contacts and that Web Wednesday has helped nudge awareness of your creations up a notch or two. Now go make some money!

Thank you again to our generous prize sponsors, the Internet Society of Hong Kong - World Developer Summit 2013, Amazon Web Services, Amaze Mobile Media (member of the Gravitas Group) and BlackBerry Hong Kong.

Winners of Battle of the Apps III

On 30th May, 10 brave contestants took to the stage at Bisous to present their latest app creations in our quarterly developer challenge, fondly known as "Battle of the Apps". [Read more about the first five contestants here, and second five here].

After one hour of patiently listening to the presentations, the audience of 100 guests took to the vote. (We went analog, using smiley face stickers on white cardboard).

And the winners are...

In third position, a highly popular virtual butterfly catching game (combining  GPS, Motion Sensor and Augmented Reality technology): iButterfly. Find them on Facebook.

 

In second position, learn how to cook popular Chinese recipes with Chi Fan. Find them on Facebook. [Note the cheeky QR code on the cover page - how long will Zuckerberg let them get away with this obvious call to action?].

Wait for it...the top prize goes to...an app for competitive types Coach's Clipboard! Find the creator, J Plus Corp, on Facebook.

Congratulations to the three winners! We hope that the rest of the contestants enjoyed the battle, made some good contacts and that Web Wednesday has helped nudge awareness of your creations up a notch or two! Our next Battle of the Apps will be held in late August 2012.

Battle of the Apps V - Hong Kong Start-Ups

Calling all entr-app-reneurs!

Four months is a long time in the fast-paced world of mobile start-ups. So, due to popular demand (and a whole new slew of app launches), we have set a date for the next "Battle of the Apps" on 20th November, 2013.



This lively competition is open to application creators, developers and publishers who participate in a "pitching contest" in the heart of Hong Kong's Lan Kwai Fong party area. All apps welcome, be it on iOS, Android, Blackberry, Windows, Chrome, Symbian or any other operating system (TV, tablet or smartphone).

Networking will start at 6:30pm, with the battle from 7:00pm sharp on 20th November 2013 at Bisous, 9/F, LKF Tower, 33 Wyndham St, Central, Hong Kong.

Submit your app via the form below, join the event on Facebook and spread the word on social media using the shortened URL "bit.ly/battleofapps5".

Curious to learn more? Read about BoA I, BoA II, BoA III, BoA IV and the winners of BoA IV.

RULES OF THE BATTLE
Each contestant will have 5 minutes to present their creation (slides or live demo) followed by questions from the floor. Due to time limitations, there will be a maximum of 10 contestants.

At the end of the evening, the audience will vote with their fingers (good, old fashioned, analogue stickers!). The most popular app will win great prizes and a full interview slot at a future Web Wednesday Social Mixer, with all the associated promotional benefits.

If you're a contestant, sign up to join the fray below. Otherwise, do help spread the word - using "#battleofapps" hashtag on Twitter or the shortened URL "bit.ly/battleofapps5" for other social media.

Fill out my online form.

Apps Battlers Line Up

It's only been five days since we invited submission for the upcoming Battle of the Apps III on 30th May 2012 and we already have five brave contestants.  (I'll list them in order of submission not preference).

1. Intuition Rubicon Mobile Learning Platform

Within 12 hours of opening the contest, we have our first brave contestant with a good business but not catchy name, "Intuition Rubicon Mobile Learning Platform". Since June 2007, their app has been downloaded 400,000 times! You can find it on the Apple Apps Store here.

This app "allows companies to push, track & record training, sales or compliance courses videos or podcasts across all devices iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, Android and WinMob".

2. Fonetic Cantonese

Our 2nd contestant within 24 hours of contest launch is "Fonetic Cantonese", which they describe as "helps overseas Chinese people and other foreigners speak Cantonese instantly thanks to the more than 3,000 words & phrases you can 'hear' plus you can read the phonetic translations (Western PinYin)." This witty app has been downloaded 3,000 times since December 2012.

3. Coach's Clipboard


And the competition heats up! Our 3rd contestant for Battle of the Apps is a tool created by J Plus Corp to help coaches draw and animate plays on their mobile device (iOS, Mac, Android, etc) using their fingers. Coaches can move players, ball, draw lines and animate their plays/formations then easily share their plays via email or export them. 

Ranked "#1 paid sports iPad app" in Dec 2012. 10,000 downloads since it's launch on in June 2009. You can find it on iTunes.

4. Talking Phrasebooks

Our 4th contestant is a new offering from the prolific mobile developers at S4BB, which is a "Talking Phrasebook" for holiday trips to countries that speak Bavarian, Cantonese, Dutch, French, German, Hindi, Russian, Urdu, and - is this a language? - Oktoberfest! (Correction, "Oktoberfest Bavarian"). If you have a BlackBerry (70 million still do!), you can download it from their App World.


5. Chi Fan

Now that we've settled our linguistic curiosities, it's time to eat. Our 5th contestant for Battle of the Apps III is "Chi Fan" a guide to cooking Chinese food by Bess Inc. Already downloaded 100 times since its launch on 14th May 2012. Download the iPhone app here.

We're still recruiting contestants and sponsors so do spread the love using this link - http://j.mp/wwv58.

Battle of the Apps III - Call for Contestants

Calling all entr-app-reneurs!

As a continuation of our popular "Battle of the Apps" series, we are once again inviting app creators, developers and publishers to compete in a live contest in the heart of Hong Kong's Lan Kwai Fong party area. [Read about the last contestants here]. All apps welcome, be it on iOS, Android, Blackberry, Windows, Chrome or Symbian (TV, tablet or smartphone).

Networking will start at 6:30pm, with the battle from 7:15pm on 30th May 2012 at Bisous, 9/F, LKF Tower, 33 Wyndham St, Central, Hong Kong.

See who else is coming on Facebook and spread the word using the short code "http://j.mp/hkappsbattle3".

Each contestant will have 5 minutes to show off their creation and will have 2 minutes for questions from the floor. Due to time limitations, there will be a maximum of 10 contestants with prizes for the winners.

At the end of the evening, the audience will vote with their feet fingers (good, old fashioned, analogue stickers!).

The most popular app will win great prizes and a full interview slot at an upcoming Web Wednesday with all the associated promotional benefits.

If you're a contestant, sign up to join the fray below. Otherwise, do help me spread the word so that we can attract a wide range of contestants.

Fill out my online form.

Batte of the Sexes 2.0

Following on from the success of running four "Battle of the Apps", we're launching a new event format, called "Battle of the Sexes". It's about human relationships not software integration!

What makes this event different? For one evening, we're going to "gamify" different elements of a popular Web Wednesday networking event.

Firstly, to accelerate networking, you will need to get your card stamped three times in order to receive your complimentary drink. We will randomly issue cards or stamps to each person who pays the entrance fee of HK$100 at the door.

Secondly, we replace the hot-seat interview with a knock-out game. Boy and girl face off on-stage to answer rapid-fire questions about social behaviour in a digital age, hosted by Napoleon Biggs, Founder of Web Wednesday. The winner stays on and is joined by a new challenger of the opposite sex. Anyone from the audience can participate to fight for the pride of his/her clan!

Great prizes for the most digitally switched-on male and female in the room, including one 6-month complimentary membership at Fitness First (Value: HK$5,000) and dinner for two at Tamarind Pan-Asian Fine Dining (Value: HK$800).

Doors open at 6:30pm with the battle starting at 7:30pm on Wednesday 25th September, 2013 at Bisous, 9/F, LKF Tower, 33 Wyndham St, Central, Hong Kong.

As usual, there is an entrance fee of HK$100. You'll have fun meeting some unusually interesting people, challenging the opposite sex and will receive a free drink by participating in a fun ice-breaking game.

Come fight to prove that your sex rules the digital airwaves!

We do have an event page on Facebook but, for the more discreetly minded, you can sign up privately via Eventbrite. Do let us know that you're coming so we can have a good balance of sexes.

Battle of the Apps VI - Hong Kong Startups

[NOTE: EVENT POSTPONED UNTIL 23RD JULY, 2014]

Calling all entr-app-reneurs!

As a continuation of our popular "Battle of the Apps" series, we are once again inviting app creators, developers and publishers to compete in a live contest in the heart of Hong Kong's entertainment area.

Networking will start at 6:30pm, with the battle from 7:15pm on 16th April 2014 [postponed to 23rd July, 2014] at Club 18, 18-20 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, Hong Kong.

All apps welcome, be it on iOS, Android, Blackberry, Windows, Chrome or Symbian (TV, tablet or smartphone).

Submit your app via this web form.

Each contestant will have 5 minutes to present their creation, followed by questions from the floor. Due to time limitations, there will be a maximum of 10 contestants.

At the end of the evening, the audience will vote with their fingers (old fashioned, analogue stickers!).

The most popular app will win great prizes and a full interview slot at a future Web Wednesday Social Mixer with all the associated promotional benefits.

Sign up to see who else is coming via Facebook or MeetUp.

Do help spread the word so that we can attract a wide range of contestants. Use hashtag "#battleofapps".

Bring your game!(To borrow from the HK Rugby 7s which only has one app, "HK7sBestFan", created by Cathay Pacific).

Social Mixer V54.0: Battle of the Apps II

As a continuation of our popular "Battle of the Apps" contest format, we are once again inviting app publishers and developers to  participate in a pre-Christmas contest, held on 14th December at Bisous, 9/F LKF Tower, 33 Wyndham St, Central, Hong Kong. The social mixer will run from 6:30pm to 9:30pm and we'll kick off the contest at 7:20pm.

Let us know you're coming by signing up on Facebook or LinkedIn.

All and any types of apps welcome, including but not limited to iOS, Android, Blackberry, Windows, Chrome or Symbian (TV, tablet, smartphone, kiosk, etc).

Each contestant will have 8 minutes to show off their creation - slides, video, screenshots, whatever works. Bisous has a great projector, big screen and good sound system, but the wifi access is unreliable.

At the end of the evening, we'll take votes from the audience. The most popular app will win great prizes and a full interview slot at an upcoming Web Wednesday with all the associated promotional benefits.

You can submit your app on Facebook or the public web.

Do help me spread the word so that we can attract a wide range of contestants. Thank you!

11 Contestants for Battle of the Apps IV

Eleven gutsy app enterpreneurs ("entr-app-reneurs") will be competing in our 4th Battle of the Apps Contest, held on Wednesday 19th June, 2013 at Bisous, 9/F, LKF Tower, 33 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong.

We list them below in order of submission to the contest and provide links to their websites, apps and social media presences. Do try them out and let us know what you think.

Yoketown: a social city guide with quality content. Download from iTunes. Follow on Twitter (@yoke_town) or Facebook.

Little Rewards: an incentive programme for reluctant children that teaches goal setting and the value of rewards, including money. Download from iTunes. Follow on Twitter (@littlerewards) and Facebook.

ZNAP, by MPayMe: a new way to simplify payments. Download from iTunes, Google Play or BlackBerry App World. Follow on Facebook and watch on YouTube.

Search for Amazon, by S4BB: search for and set push notifications about sales on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. Download from BlackBerry App Store. Follow S4BB on Twitter (@s4bb) and Facebook.

ConnectU Map: a social map to end shyness. Download from iTunes. Follow on Twitter (@gteconnectu) and Facebook. Catch those special moments on YouTube.

Oz Tales, by FamLoop: a highly interactive story for kids (and parents). Follow FamLoop on Twitter (@famloop), Facebook, Pinterest, Google Plus and watch their video demos on YouTube.

HotelQuickly: last minute hotel bookings with deals in the Asia Pacific. Download from iTunes. Follow on Twitter (@hotelquickly), Facebook, Pinterest and Flickr.

Pingspot: a fast and easy way to share recommendations of great local businesses, and discover places from people you trust. Download from iTunes. Follow on Twitter (@pingspot) and Facebook.

Provesor, from FETC (香港財智科技): brings investment algorithms to the public. Download from iTunes. Follow on Twitter (@ericdiwu), Facebook, Sina Weibo and LinkedIn. (Note the different use of channels).

LanguageX, by Global Citizen: a way to find people anywhere at anytime for language exchange. Download from iTunes. Follow on Twitter (@globalcitizenco) and Facebook.

GOnnect: a better way to find, make and keep connections. Download from iTunes. Follow on Twitter (@gonnect) and Facebook.

We also have prizes from our generous sponsors, Amazon Web Services, Amaze Mobile Media (a member of the Gravitas Group), BlackBerry Hong Kong and the Internet Society of Hong Kong.

Game on!

Prizes for Battle of the Apps II

We've lined up some great prizes for "Battle of the Apps II" on 14th December, 2011. (Warning: we may juggle the prizes around on the night). Please help me thank them for their generous support by sharing their links.

Amazon Web Services

• 1 x Amazon Kindle Fire (Full Color 7" Multi-touch Display with Wi-Fi)
• 1 x US$500 of EC2 cloud hosting services for the winner (voted favourite by the audience)
• US$25 of EC2 cloud hosting services for each contest participant

JigoCity Hong Kong

• 100 complimentary drinks (for the first 100 guests at Bisous on the night)
• 2 x 150 JigoPoints Credit Vouchers (equivalent to HK$150) for two winners
• Super special offer for Web Wednesday Members: Spend HK$1 to get 50 JigoPoints, a shopping credit equivalent to HK$50. Claim this special offer here. [Valid 12 - 15 December, 2011].

UX Hong Kong

1 complimentary ticket (worth HK$2,900 early bird rate) to attend User Experience Hong Kong 2012 on 17 & 18 February, 2012. The organiser, Daniel Szuc, was a previous speaker at Web Wednesday.

If you're keen to learn more about usability, read Daniel's latest book, co-authored with Whitney Quesenbery, who will be speaking at the event, "Global UX: Design and Research in a Connected World".

Inside Hong Kong's Mobile Apps Environment

One of my favourite things about running Web Wednesday is the amazingly wide range of people that I get to meet, not just on the stage but also in the audience. Off the back of our last social mixer in 2011, "Battle of the Apps II", I had the pleasure of meeting up with Douglas Crets, who seems to have a plum job flying around the world interviewing leading digerati for Re-wired and Fast Company. He also sits on the advisory board of Klout - I wonder what that job entails? (Do tell us, Doug!). Listen to his interviews on BlogTalkRadio and follow him on Twitter (@douglascrets) and the Re-Wired blog.

Unlike my Web Wednesday interviews, this time Doug turned his microphone on me to ask my thoughts on the latest developments in mobile entrepreneurship in Asia. Yes, it is far too big a subject to cover in a 25-minute interview but we made a good job of it. Listen to the interview below and read his blog post here. Thanks, Doug. I enjoyed it.

Entr-app-reneurs to the Battle

Time has flown past since our last Battle of the Apps but I've found a spare moment to gather some info on the second lot of brave contestants at who joined the fray on May 30th. [Read about the first set of contestants here].

Our 6th contestant, Doctor Hung's Healthy Soups (洪醫師－湯來自有方) teaches you how to make medicinal soups following old Chinese recipes. Ditch your burgers and live long with this app!

(Developed by Crossover International and download from iTunes).








Ever wondered how cracking eggs can improve your maths? The folk at Tiny Tapps have come up with just the game for you (and your tots). Smash your way to genius! [Download from iTunes].

Continuing with the theme of learning, the British Council has developed a set of interactive stories designed to help children who are learning to read and speak English, under their "LearnEnglish Kids" phonics programme - they're also using Twitter (@LearnEnglishKids). Let "super spies" Sam and Pam show you the way to phonic enlightenment. [Download from iTunes].

Enough about education already. Let's get outside and catch some butterflies. Ditch the net and use your smartphone! Conceived by the famous Japanese advertising firm, Dentsu (Media Palette), and produced by Hong Kong's home grown Cherry Picks, iButterfly has attracted more than 350,000 downloads with over 8 millions virtual butterflies caught so far! Build up your collection and follow them on Facebook too. [Download from iTunes or Google Play/Android].

 And, finally, an app for the B2B crowd: Busification - "Make Fun Work".  Using game incentives, this app enables businesses to manage work, motivate staff and analyse performance in an interesting and challenging way. Launched in beta at Web Wednesday, we hope to see this start-up grow beyond its wildest dreams.

Social Mixer V49.0: Battle of the Apps!

Calling all app entrepreneurs!

We're planning an open mike for you to introduce your best app to the Hong Kong Digerati on 20th July at Volar Club, Lam Kwai Fong, Hong Kong. Sign up on Facebook or LinkedIn.

You have 5 minutes to show off your app (videos preferred). At the end of the evening, we'll take votes from the audience. The most popular app will win great prizes and a full interview slot at an upcoming Web Wednesday with all the associated promotional benefits.

Do help me spread the word so that we can attract a wide range of contestants. All apps welcome, be they on iOS, Android, Blackberry, Windows, Chrome or Symbian (TV, tablet or smartphone).

As per usual, there's a HK$100 entrance fee, including one complimentary drink, a free talk, high-quality networking and the chance to win lucky draw prizes.

Our lovely assistant, Vivian, will issue receipts if you need one. (For students, you can get in for HK$50 without free booze). Thereafter, all standard drinks will be charged at special happy hour prices.

This month we continue to donate 10% of entrance fees to the Japanese Red Cross.

Web Wednesday Podcasts 2013

Dear Friends and Members of the Web Wednesday Community,

As we round off 2013, I wanted to personally thank you for being a member of the Web Wednesday community. It is your presence at our monthly gatherings, activity across our social media platforms and energetic support that drives me to keep this community growing and spend time sourcing good speakers from whom we can all learn.

If you missed some of the great interviews this year, listen to them at your own leisure on our podcast channel on SoundCloud below. We were honoured to have guest speakers from Lane Crawford, WeChat (Tencent), PassKit, Silicon Dragon, Qunar, WeLend, Wikipedia, App Annie, Socialbakers, Paoma (Shanghai Race Club), ZaoZao, Evernote, Battle of the Apps (9 contestants) and School for Startups (Doug Richard).



We have another great bench of speakers lined up for 2014 but are always open to any suggestions that you may have to make our group even more valuable to you.

Warm, festive wishes to y'all!

Web Wednesday Podcasts - 12 Interviews from 2012

As we kick off another eventful year, I wanted to thank you all for being part of Web Wednesday and for sharing ideas and opportunities with the community. For those of you who missed any of our social mixers over the past year, I've posted the raw, unedited (mostly) recordings to SoundCloud for you to listen at your own leisure.

Do let me know which one was your favourite from our twelve brave speakers: Puma Social, Intel Outside, Plukka, Battle of the Apps III, Langham Hospitality, IMG Digital Sports, Go Animate, LinkedIn, London 2012 Olympics, Lovestruck and PrivateSales.hk



We'll be kicking off 2013 talking about ecommerce in China with Lane Crawford on Wednesday 23rd January, 2013 at Bisous, 9/F, LKF Tower, 33 Wyndham St, Central, Hong Kong.

Keep keen in 2013! (ouch!)