Apple’s Passbook to step foot in Singapore via Jurong Point mall’s app; mobile loyalty space heats up

Jurong Point, one of Singapore’s largest suburban malls, will soon integrate Apple’s Passbook technology into its retail app. This means that iOS6 users with the app will be able to claim an offer without needing to download anything else. Passbook comes included with iOS6 and iPhone 5.

The mall app’s new feature is slated to be available by end-November. The creator, Accumbens Networks, claims it will be the first retail app in Singapore to integrate with Passbook. Besides facilitating offers and promotions, it will also be used with the My Jurong Point app to collect data on consumers and their purchasing habits. These insights will be shared with merchants. Read more

A collection of weird and wonderful concept videos on the future

It seems like everyone is making speculative concept videos these days. While opinion is split on the vanity of the companies involved in making them, the videos do give us a glimpse of what the future could be like and how technology might change the way we live. If you only have time for one video though, we’d suggest you check out “Sight”, which is at the bottom. It gives a humorous portrayal of how our reliance on technology could become… excessive. Read more

Innovation & Creativity Workshop with Co-founder of Apple Steve Wozniak

Don’t miss out on this great and rare opportunity to hear Steve Wozniak, Co-founder of Apple, share his experiences and thoughts at the Innovation & Creativity Workshop, organized by 3 Ocean Act! This seminar will take place in Jakarta on Tuesday, July 17 2012 and will discuss topics surrounding digital technology and innovation, and will also allow attendees to network with one another. Apart from Steve Wozniak, the speaker lineup includes experienced professionals such as Rene Suhardono, Founder of Impact Factory Indonesia, Daniel Tumiwa, Country Manager at Multiply, and Ligwina Hananto, Co-founder and CEO of Quantum Magna Financial. Read more

iTunes store arrives at 12 Asian countries, lets users buy music and movies

Starting from today, consumers in 12 Asian countries can finally purchase local and international music, as well as rent or purchase movie from the iTunes store.

These countries are: Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.  Read more

Book Review: Insanely Simple by Ken Segall

If you want to read a first person account on how Apple has designed, implemented and executed their marketing and advertising campaigns, Insanely Simple: That Obsession that Drives Apple’s Success by Ken Segall offers a glimpse on how the concept of simplicity drives Apple as a company.

As the person who was part of the team who came up with the famous “Think Different” TV advertisement and putting the letter “i” behind all Apple products, Ken Segall organizes Steve Job’s obsession into 10 simple principles. Read more

Steve Jobs, the comeback king

I’m not an Apple user, and I won’t consider myself a fan. But I felt a profound loss when I woke up this morning to learn that Steve Jobs is dead. He was 56.

You don’t have to use an iPhone to appreciate the things he has achieved. What inspired me the most about him was not his great vision for products, or his exacting leadership style, but that he was a comeback king.

After a leadership tussle at Apple in 1985, Steve was ousted from the company he created. Not one to sit still, he founded NeXT, which made an operating system that would become a foundation for the OS X. Read more

China Digest: Tudou gets listed in the US, NeuroSky tech adopted, and more

Here are some interesting startup news from China, not only in its capital, Beijing, but also other startup hubs such as Shanghai, Hong Kong, Hangzhou, and many more. Read more

Sony Ericsson jumps onto NFC bandwagon

Joining Internet behemoth Google in the increasingly crowded near-field communication (NFC) hot tub is mobile company Sony Ericsson, who is putting NFC chips into its Android phones, the Times of India revealed (see also uses for NFC).

A while back, we reported that a tech blogger discovered some NFC functionality on the Google+ mobile app. Google has also been actively implementing the technology for its Google Wallet and Google Places services. Read more

Japan Digest – 14 Jul

Here you can find interesting startup news from Japan, not only from its capital, Tokyo, but also other startup hubs like Fukuoka, Kyoto, Osaka, and many more. Read more

Report: Tablet shipments in Asia-Pacific to grow tenfold by 2015

By 2015, expect up to 21 million units of tablet computers to ship in countries like Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Korea, New Zealand, the Philippines, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam.

That’s if predictions by US-based market research company International Data Corp are correct. Read more