Just recently, they launched a pilot program in Singapore’s train stations to allow locals to purchase Valentine’s Day gifts at discount using QR codes, reported AllThingsD.

To purchase a gift, commuters would need to download a QR code reader on their mobile phones to scan the right spot on the poster. They will be brought to a webpage where they can purchase the product using PayPal. The experiment is being run on 15 subway stations in Singapore.

PayPal’s initiative follows a similar move by Cold Storage supermarket during the Christmas season last year, in which they offered groceries like Christmas ham to commuters at a couple of train stations.

Both programs are likely inspired by supermarket chain Tesco in South Korea, which is apparently the one that started the whole trend.

While Tesco reportedly received positive results and increased sales because of their virtual stores, it’s unclear if Cold Storage experienced a significant boost as a result of their experiment.

Although QR codes have frequently been dismissed as a gimmick and a passing fad, it’s more likely that the technology will see niche usage among marketers, who are still figuring out how to use it effectively.

It is also competing with even more advanced technology like NFC, which many believe will herald the new age of mobile payments. But NFC is unlikely to supplant QR codes completely, since both have different use cases.

PayPal appears to understand this well. It is putting its eggs in many baskets, investing in NFC for its Android app, and also working with Home Depot in the United States on a small point-of-sales trial.

Check out the video about PayPal’s Valentine’s Day special in Singapore:

More epic stuff about QR codes:

Ten QR code sins to avoid
QropIt hopes to take QR code implementation to the next level
Good and bad examples of QR code implementation (from Facebook)

Philippines telecom operator Globe has partnered with Singapore counterpart SingTel to bring MyAppsMall, a cross-platform mobile app store, to Globe prepaid and postpaid subscribers in the Philippines, reported ABS-CBN.

The app store contains over 20,000 free and paid apps, which includes categories like games, social networks, Internet browsers, lifestyle, news, entertainment, and more. The app can be accessed via a web browser on both PC and mobile.

Being cross-platform, the app store contains content for Android, Symbian, Java, and BlackBerry devices. It serves as an additional platform for developers, especially Filipino ones, to create, distribute, and monetize their apps internationally.

SingTel has made the app store available outside the Philippines.

Customers of Globe and other SingTel affiliates can pay for content via operator billing, which means expenses incurred on the app store are charged directly to their monthly mobile bill.

Network subscribers outside the SingTel Group can still buy content from the app store, but they’ll have to use their credit cards.

MyAppsMall is billed as an initiative to promote Filipino talent to the international market by giving them an extra distribution channel for their works. In crowded marketplaces like Apple’s App Store and Android’s Marketplace, it can be hard for new app developers to get their content noticed.

More epic stuff:

5 trends that will shape the app world
S’pore-based company offers glimpse of future with HTML5 game Dollar Isle

Depending on who you ask, HTML5 is the future of mobile apps. Juha Paananen, founder and CEO of GamesMadeMe, a Finland and Singapore-based games studio, certainly believes it.

Having received some seed funding from Lifeline Ventures, they are now betting big on the technology with the launch of their first HTML5 game, Dollar Isle.

It is a CityVille-like game that puts you in charge of creating your own city from the ground up. As you complete more goals, you unlock more buildings and plots of land where you can expand your city. You can even decide if you want to pursue the evil industrialist path or the earth-loving, eco-city one.

You will even get a custom URL for your own city (mine’s here, although it’s not exactly a metropolis).

The advantage of web apps made with HTML5 is that you can access it from any device, and it would look and feel exactly the same — as far as screen estate allows it. There’s no need to install any apps either, which could iPhone users the hassle of needing to search for a WiFi connection to download large apps (a restriction I find annoying).

From a developer’s point of view, coding in HTML5 is a time and cost saving measure since there’s no need to learn the programming languages that different platforms like iOS, Android, and Windows Phone use.

In the past year, the development of web apps using HTML5 has been gaining steam, with Facebook coming on board as a prominent backer.

“The browser will become the dominant platform on desktop and mobile and people will start to expect that they can play the same game and be part of the same experience on all devices…most games of the future will be designed so that you can access them from anywhere,” said Juha via email.

While it is plausible in the near future for developers to abandon the native app route in favor of sophisticated web apps, there are several roadblocks, especially when it comes to creating mobile games.

Web apps, for now, do not have the ability to take advantage of a phone’s features, like the camera, GPS, NFC, push notifications or accelerometer, the way native apps can. Which means web apps will always be a step behind the cutting-edge.

Graphics performance on native apps is still way ahead of web apps, which is why Facebook, although a firm believer of HTML5, has not stuck solely to a web app.

This speed gap is noticeable when I played Dollar Isle on my iPhone — the game stuttered at certain instances (Update: Juha pointed out that the iPhone 4 and 4S face certain browser performance issues. The game works much faster on the iPad, and with hardware accelerated graphics coming to mobile browsers soon, he expects great improvements in the next 12 months.)

This means that developers who are delivering apps or games with intense graphics should stick to native apps for now.

Nevertheless, GamesMadeMe is sticking to its guns, betting that the technology will mature and more mobile users will flock to the open pastures of web apps.

With HTML5-related technology evolving so rapidly, who knows what might happen one year from now?

Kartik Ram has been appointed general manager for the region. He will lead all Adfonic’s business activities in Asia-Pacific, as well as the hiring of new talent. 

Victor Malachard, CEO Adfonic, said: “We are delighted to announce the opening of our offices in Singapore and to welcome someone of Ram’s knowledge and experience of the mobile advertising market to the team. We serve ads to over 190 countries and Asia-Pacific has long been a priority for continued expansion.”

Ram had previously successfully established an Indian office for global mobile marketing provider Velti and occupied senior management positions for One97, a mobile internet service provuder.

According to Gartner, Asia-Pacific is the leading market in mobile advertising with revenues expected to grow to &S$6.9B by 2015.

It joins Crisp Media as another ad marketplace to be based in Singapore. Last December, Crisp acquired Smart Device Media, a marketplace for premium ad space.

Adfonic announced last September that it had received US$7.5M in funding to grow the company. In 2011, it opened offices in Paris, New York, and Madrid, which also serves the Latin American market.

The firm also recently opened an office in San Francisco, and will launch operations in Germany and Italy in early 2012.

You must also be based in Singapore.

Here are the steps to own your Windows Phone:

1. Follow Spiffy on Twitter and ‘like’ the Spiffy Facebook Page to receive information on this program.
2. Submit your three app ideas to yanmf@microsoft.com with subject “#WhereIsMyLumia”. Include the name and description of your app. The application needs to be implemented using PhoneGap HTML5 mobile framework.
3. If your app is approved, you will be informed through email, along with instructions to pick up your loaner device in our Microsoft Singapore office.
4. You are required to submit one approved application to Marketplace every month, for 3 months – to keep the device. Until then, it’s a loaner device.

Developers are encouraged to utilize native phone functions like the camera and geolocation for their apps. The devices are being given out on a first-come-first-served basis.

For resources on how to get started creating your own Windows Phone app, check out these webpages:

Starting Windows Phone developer with PhoneGap
Windows Phone Developer page
Microsoft Singapore Developer Page

Microsoft Singapore will also be holding free training sessions on 8th to 9th February to get developers familiarized with using the Windows Phone SDK.

It looks like Microsoft and Nokia are pulling all stops to make its Windows Phone ecosystem competitive with Apple and Android. In the US, there are plans to give retail workers cash incentives for selling Windows Phone. The marketing budget in the country alone is about US$200M.

We don’t know if all these carrots will work, but we sure hope the Windows Phone develops into a formidable alternative to the iPhone and Android. It’ll only benefit the consumers.

Many of us would scarcely bother with the worksheets — since filling in the blanks wasn’t exactly our idea of fun.

I can’t imagine how fortunate today’s students are, especially with apps like Trail Shuttle, which allows students to participate in interactive learning trails.

Developed by Singapore-based game product development company Rockmoon, Trail Shuttle consists of three components: A web-based toolkit that allows users to create their own learning trails, a mobile Exploring app that allows students to experience these trails, and a mobile app for teachers to monitor student activity real-time via a map.

The Exploring app has the following features:

• An augmented reality way-finder and scanner to unlock tasks
• Ability to consume images, videos, and audio, as well as upload them
• Learning trails are available through the cloud, which means no need to download new trails.
• Quizzes to test student’s knowledge
• Chat feature
• Ability to check in at hotspots

Through the use of technology, Trail Shuttle has the aim of promoting collaboration between students, developing creativity, as well as promoting self-directed and immersive learning. Students will get a chance to design their own trails and set goals to accomplish. In total, about 16 schools are on board.

The app has been used in institutions like Crescent Girl’s School, which is part of a Singapore’s Ministry of Education called FutureSchools@Singapore. Schools under the program have enhanced diversity of educational offerings and greater integration of infocomm technology in their lessons.

That includes arming each students under the program with an iPad.

While I don’t think technology is a silver bullet that will suddenly make lessons more engaging and productive, such developments do widen the exposure that students have with technology. And that can only be good for the tech industry.

But in Asia, PayPal’s not the only kid in the online payment neighborhood. In fact, over the years, numerous alternatives have sprung up in the region, sometimes even beating the payment giant in market share in their respective countries.

Furthermore, in emerging markets, ubiquitous Internet services are not always readily available, which means over-the-counter payment remains popular in those places.

So, if you’re an entrepreneur keen on regional or global expansion, understanding the market and the key players is an important first step. To help you, we’ve compiled this constantly-updated list to keep you abreast of the latest developments in Asia.

1) PayDollar

Launched in January 2012 by AsiaPay, a Internet and mobile payment services provider, PayDollar is a comprehensive debit payment option for the Asia-Pacific region. Merchants can use it to collect real-time payments from customers via bank accounts, debit cards, e-wallets, and prepaid products.

It can process payments from the following partners: China UnionPay, AliPay, 99Bill, PPS, MyClear, BancNet, Globe GCash, Smart Money, POLi, Bangkok Bank, Bank of Ayudhya, TMB Bank, United Overseas Bank, Siam Commercial Bank, and Krung Thai Bank accountholders.

The appeal of this service is that it can accept payments from a wide variety of online payment options, be it e-commerce, m-commerce, or direct bank transactions.

The service is available in Hong Kong, China, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, and Philippines.

2) Paysbuy

Paysbuy is a popular online payment option in Thailand. Founded in 2004, it allows members to send and receive money, as well as make payments via electronic devices. It also offers a variety of payment channels including credit cards, bank transfers, counter services, and e-wallets.

The company recently launched a mobile app for iPhone and Android, and has obtained an Electronic Money License from Thailand’s Ministry of Finance, and an Electronic Payment Service Provider License from the Ministry of ICT. They also have the Trustmark symbol from the Ministry of Commerce.

3) Alipay, Tenpay, Chinapay, 99bill

I grouped all of them together because they have one thing in common: They’re the four major online payment gateways in China in terms of marketshare.

According to an interactive graphic from Thomson-Reuters, Alipay is tops with 45.5 percent market share. It claims to have some 550 million users. Second is Tenpay, at 21.2 percent, followed by Chinapay and finally 99bill, which, despite coming in a distant fourth, has 107 million registered users (and the most original name).

PayPal is hardly a blip on the radar, although Chinese users do use it to purchase foreign goods.

Alipay allows companies outside of China to accept payments from within the country through its cross-border website and mobile payment services. However, foreign companies must pay a US$1,000 setup fee, and are charged a higher transaction fee. They also have an escrow payment service that allows shoppers to verify the quality of the goods they received before releasing the funds to the merchant.

Alipay can also be seen as PayPal greatest competitor. In fact, it claims to be bigger than PayPal in terms of transaction volume and registered users. Alipay has global ambitions as well: It plans to launch Alipay Express, it’s international online payment platform, very soon.

Tenpay and 99bill, on the other hand, can only be used by businesses registered in China. Also, 99bill lacks an escrow service, and also charges foreign companies more. Tenpay would be a great option if your business is reaching out to customers that use Tencent’s QQ services. QQ is the most popular instant messaging service in China, at 300 million users.

Considering the obvious bias towards China companies that the services have, foreign entrepreneurs who are serious about doing e-commerce in China should really consider registering in the country. For a more detailed guide on which payment services best suit your business, check out this handy article.

4) Swiff

Swiff, a Singapore-based company, does not seek to duplicate what PayPal does. Unlike PayPal, which is primarily an online payment gateway, Swiff is a mobile point-of-sales solution that enables merchants to accept payments simply by attaching a small credit card swiper to and installing an app on their smartphones.

What Swiff is competing with PayPal in, however, is the fight to win the future of cashless transactions in brick-and-mortar stores. It’s a battle that the likes of Google Wallet and US-based Square (started by Twitter creater Jack Dorsey) are involved in too.

Besides being a standalone product, Swiff also enables app developers to offer its solutions from their apps so that they can transact with users. The company has also worked with Raptor, a restaurant POS provider, to integrate their payment service into restaurant operations.

SGE previewed Swiff in October 2011, and since then, they are one step closer to launch. Their iOS and Android app is available for download on the App Store and Android Market. Merchants who want to use the app will need to register on the Swiff website.

The service is being made available in Singapore and Malaysia, although they plan to expand to Europe, the USA, Canada and South America.

5) MOLPoints

Think PayPal for games, and you have MOLPoints. But it’s more than that: MOLPoints is also an online currency and currency exchange system. A Malaysian product, MOLPoints is a system that enables customers to purchase online games, products, and services. It is available in Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, India, Indonesia, and Thailand.

MOLPoints is essentially a niche product that services avid casual gamers who wouldn’t mind splurging on in-game items. Users pay real currency in exchange for MOLPoints, which can be used in over 200 games. With the MOLPoints Facebook app, gamers can even purchase Facebook Credits for use within the social network.

Last year, MOL Global, the company behind the system, purchased Zest Interactive, a leading games distributor and payment gateway company in Thailand. It owns a network of over 40,000 physical channels including retail outlets and cybercafes.

The acquisition should result in stronger usage of MOLPoints among Thai casual gamers.

Know of any alternatives that should be featured? Let us know in the comments section!

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.”

He added: “One of the things we have never had at Chalkboard is a consumer-facing dashboard to let users interact and engage with small and medium businesses. We created the Chalkboard Facebook App to act as a one stop shop for our users to find out today’s specials that are around them, what their friends have been viewing, examples being freshly brewed coffee or newly imported beer and accordingly decide where the best place to hang out would be.”

So if I am heading to the Joo Chiat area, I can fire up the Facebook app, indicate the location on the map, and instantly see a list of offers from merchants around the area, and even how far the particular restaurant or shop is away from the selected location.

The app is designed to take advantage of the virality of social networks, which benefits both businesses and consumers on the Chalkboard network. “We hope to increase the sharing and discovery of specials coming from our merchant partners and induce a form of virality that will help them attract more customers,” said Anuj.

If I like a particular cafe, I can “follow” it within the app, which will alert me to any future updates the merchant posts on Chalkboard. And if I have Facebook friends who is also using the app, they will know that I’ve followed that particular cafe. All this is happening within the “Activity” page of the app, which acts as a hub of social activity.

Of course, the app allows me to recommend a merchant to my entire social network on Facebook too.

“Our design philosophy while building the app was to create something that lets users view, share and access content in as few steps as possible,” said Anuj.

The company has been introducing a slew of improvements to its product, but so far they have been business-facing. Late last year, they enhanced their merchant dashboard, allowing it to sync with the merchant’s Facebook Page. Any updates that they make on Chalkboard will now show up on their Facebook Page.

They also introduced a heat map that lets merchants see which areas around them has the most interactions.

From the looks of it, I’ll speculate that Chalkboard is heading towards becoming an end-to-end e-commerce platform that aims to connect businesses seamlessly with consumers. There certainly is room to integrate an e-commerce feature into the Facebook app, allowing consumers to make transactions more directly.

I certainly won’t be surprised if they come up with a standalone offering on the App Store.

This is where you and your friend's activities appear.

Users can see detailed information about their favorite merchants.

The social network, which is popular in Asia, allows users to create avatars, chat with other people, and play third party games. The miniblog will be integrated with existing features to increase their usage rate.

The feature will differentiate itself  from Twitter and Sina Weibo by offering gamification — game-like features like virtual gifts, avatars, emoticons, and actual games within the miniblog.

“We think the miniblog will be the connector, the glue for our different services that connect users,” said mig33′s CEO Steven Goh. “You can access rich media, play games, and earn badges directly within the platform. This represents an evolution of our community.”

With their miniblog, they plan to reach 500M users in the emerging markets.

Mig33 has so far raised US$34M in funding. The company was started in 2005 and now has 115 employees.

This injection comes within months of earlier investments from Singapore-based Jungle Ventures and other angels. To date, Cinemacraft has received US$900,000 in funding, and also a research and development grant from the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), which is spread over two years.

The startup’s flagship product is a proprietary cloud based platform that allows content to be distributed to a multitude of mobile devices and networks. Essentially, it wants to transform every mobile device into a television.

“It’s heartening to be included among some of the world’s brightest emerging companies. This vote of confidence from 500 Startups will help us further streamline our product and strengthen the roll-out efforts in our core markets of Japan, US, India and Indonesia,” said Sandeep Casi, CEO & Founder of Cinemacraft.

500 Startups, founded by venture capitalist Dave McClure, is a Silicon Valley-based accelerator that provides early-stage companies with funding up to US$250,000 in seed investments and microfunding from the Twilio Fund. It has over 160 experienced startup mentors from around the world.

Said McClure: “The mobile video consumption continues to increase in Japan, US, & Southeast Asia as smart phones and tablets penetrate at a rapid pace. Most videos today on mobile are delivered for passive viewing. Cinemacraft with its disruptive media delivery platform is poised to be a leader in interactive consumption of videos and a new breed of interactive video intensive apps.”