Japan Digest: App to curb protruding nostril hairs, Cave focuses on social games, and more

(1) Chololi lets anyone send a pre-written notification to the offending hairy culprit anonymously via their email. “For all you people who are thoughtful and in a difficult position, we give you Chololi the deputy service for notification about nostril hairs” explains the site.

(2) Following a disappointing financial report, Japanese video game maker Cave announced it will focus more on social games going forward. The company has an 18-year old history and is especially famous for its shoot’em ups aimed at a hardcore gamer audience.

(3) Golgo 13, a Japanese cult manga from the 1960s, is getting the social game treatment. DeNA announced it has launched a social “battle RPG” of the same name on Mobage for Japanese feature phones. Meanwhile, DeNA also announced that Sega has chosen Mobage to launch the online version of the super-successful (and pretty awesome) mobile RPG Kingdom Conquest. Read more

Three startups that make staying fit more fun

Chinese New Year just wouldn’t be Chinese New Year without the feasting. It’s a time of gathering together over a simmering steamboat and roasted duck, and getting your fingers slick with oil from a tasty slice of bakkwa. Unfortunately, it’s also the occasion where we pile on the calories.

Which means it’s time to bring out our running shoes to undo the damage.

But exercise is not something that comes easily to busy urbanites like us, who work twelve hours a day and are not kinesthetically-inclined.

That’s a problem entrepreneurs in Southeast Asia are trying to solve. Exercise can be a chore, but it can also be fun, with the right approach. Here are a few startups that are trying to bring us one step closer towards fitness nirvana: Read more

Insights from Crystal Jade’s Chairman and CEO Ip Yiu Tung

In the restaurant-eat-restaurant world of the F&B industry, few local brands have stood out as clearly as Crystal Jade, one of the market leaders in Singapore. Celebrating its 20th anniversary last year with a refreshing of its identity that involves extensive refurbishments at its restaurants, Crystal Jade enjoyed a turnover of S$240M (US$189M) in 2010.

Over the last three years, it has expanded aggressively, investing S$25M (together with partners) to open 39 new outlets across Asia. This year, the F&B group will sink in a further S$17M to open 17 new outlets across eight cities. These efforts helped it to achieve a targeted 10 percent to 15 percent yearly growth in sales.

Beginning from a single outlet in Cairnhill in 1991 — which was closed and reopened with a Kitchen outlet in Shaw Plaza and a Palace outlet in Ngee Ann City – the group now has more than 100 outlets sprawled across 18 cities in nine countries. Half of these are in Singapore while the other 50 are in China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and more. Read more

Real-life puzzle game hits Singapore this weekend

For a wired generation used to playing games on the computer or smartphone, the Real Escape Game offers an alternative, novel way to have fun.

We were told that over 100,000 participants have played the game in China and Japan, where it was conceptualized. Which explains its longish full title: “The Real Escape Game in Singapore Vol 1: Escape from the Mysterious Cathedral”. Read more

China Digest: CIC acquired, Yunyun by ex-Googlers, and more

(1) Kantar Media acquires leading Chinese social business intelligence agency CIC.

(2) Yunyun’s social search merges websites, question-and-answer (Q&A), and Weibo (microblog) results. It is a Chinese social search startup by a team of ex-Googlers.

(3) Sina has been failing to find a sustainable business model (enterprise Weibo, gaming, etc.), none of which have been proven to work. The company should get back to basics: advertising.

(4) One thing Sina Weibo will definitely not do is challenge Tencent’s dominance. Social games, like so much else on the Chinese Internet, belong to Tencent.

(5) Weixin by Tencent will turn into a universally accessible messenger, similar to another famous Chinese product: QQ instant messenger, also by Tencent. So why would one company push two products with such overlapping functionality?

(5) Erin Holaday Ziegler of the public relations department at the University of Kentucky (UK) shared about how they approached using Chinese social media channels like Sina Weibo and Renren.

We thank nordicfactory for the flag image.

85Broads Informal Chinese New Year Dinner – 2 Feb

In first week of February, 85Broads will organize an informal Chinese New Year Dinner themed “Prosperity Yu Sheng for a bountiful year ahead!”. 85 Broads is a global network community of 20,000 trailblazing women who leverage each other’s connections, relationships, and intellectual capital to increase the “return” on their investment in their education, families, and careers.

Event Details

When: Thursday, 2nd February 2012
Time: 730pm-930pm
Where: Jumbo Seafood, Riverside Point (just across Clarke Quay, along the rIver), 30 Merchant Road # 01-01/02 Riverside Point Singapore 058282 (Map)
Fee: approx S$50 (US$39)/person
RSVP here.

Eatit.sg wants to put an end to lousy food at corporate events

A hungry journalist is a grumpy journalist.

That’s why it’s important to cater serviceable food at press events, instead of serving the usual fried bee hoon and fishballs, which is sure to dampen the mood of the occasion.

I’m exaggerating, of course, but the importance of good food at any event — corporate pow wows, birthday parties, and networking sessions — cannot be underestimated.

Read more

Echelon 2012 Startup Marketplace open to applications

Updated: 22nd March 2012

Echelon, an annual Asia tech startup launchpad, will be back for its third iteration. It is also accepting applications for Startup Marketplace, an exhibition platform for tech entrepreneurs to showcase their startups to potential investors, corporate partners, the media, and members of the startup community.

Deadline for this year’s applications is 31st March 2012. Prior to the main event in Singapore, shortlisted candidates, selected by a panel of judges, will be invited to participate in satellite events in various countries, where they will pitch their products to audiences. Read more

Indonesia Digest: MyTrans application by CT Group, Sedapur.com new payment method, and more

(1) After acquiring Detik, Trans Corp, a subsidiary of CT Group, has gone straight into the digital world by launching MyTrans, a digital content application.

(2) Online food delivery service, Sedapur.com, is now providing a new payment method via KlikBCA. Read more

Chalkboard launches Facebook app, lets users see deals near their location

With Chinese New Year approaching and families making the rounds visiting relatives, it can be a pickle to decide where to shop and dine, especially with so many options available.

Chalkboard, a Singapore and US-based location-based ad network that has mostly been focused on reaching out to businesses, is now targeting consumers with the recent launch of its new Facebook app that allows people to find out what offers are nearby, all at one glance.

The app (try it out on Facebook) is created by UI designer Serge Baluyot and software engineer Anuj Bheda.

According to Anuj, the app “acts as a one-stop shop for our users to find out what are today’s specials that are around them and what their friends have been viewing.” Read more