CareZone: The #MENA’s first mobile platform with a heart
A new application from Dubai is looking to give consumers a way to feel good about their purchases. The application which is developed by the Dubai based Innoventa, a leading provider of integrated solutions in management and marketing focusing mainly on the internet and mobile spaces, was recently launched and is a great and simple idea for people to shop, get rewards and help a cause. CareZone has a neat design and is easy to use. It is basically... Read More
Report: Mobile Apps usage in the MENA region
A report released earlier this month by AppsArabia and Real Opinions gives some great insight about the MENA regions smartphone usage. The research which was sponsored by RIM, which mainly aims to increase and support the developers in the region. The research which was conducted online in both English (23%) and Arabic (77%) with almost 3,000 respondents and contains a vast amount of information regarding the region which should interest all developers... Read More
The rise of Mobile in the MENA
Last week we posted an article about some interesting information released by Effective Measure regarding mobile internet consumption in the MENA region. Apparently brands in the region have noticed this trend and have started reacting to this consumer need by producing either mobile apps or mobile websites to connect with users on the go. The latest company to do so is Dubizzle, they have launched their mobile website dubai.dubizzle.com/m earlier... Read More
App Dev Days summary (Day 1)
Today twofour54 held a very useful and exciting mobile user experience (UX) training session with the presence of David Ashford of Apps Arabia, Magnus Nystedt Group Editor at the Corporate Publishing International (CPI), the publishing house that brings pcworld and macworld Middle East. And the main speaker was Oliver Weidlich of Mobile Experience: Director of Design & Innovation. After a quick round of introductions, David Ashford took the floor... Read More
High gaining Arabic application on Facebook
AppData which is an independent application traffic tracking for the Facebook Platform, have released interesting numbers on the highest gainers among applications that have under 1 million monthly active users (MAU). And in that list was an Arabic application that sends season greetings to your friends so that you don’t have worry about forgetting any of your friends. It is a pretty neat idea, and in the past month it has gained – get... Read More
Dubizzle releases an app in the Ovi Store
Dubizzle have officially launched thier first mobile application on the Ovi Store, which is an online store similar to the iTunes store but exclusive to Nokia. The app (which can be downloaded here) provides users with the latest 20 ads from the Automobile and property listings, it has a simple interface and can keep users updated on the latest items on Dubizzle. Sources at Dubizzle have confirmed that they are just beginning to scratch the surface... Read More
Top Apps in the iTunes store: MENA Edition
So after much thought I decided to look up what Applications on the iTunes store are being bought for the iPhone, I was interested in seeing how people in the MENA region are using their iPhones and what type of applications they are willing to spend their money on. So I logged onto the iTunes store and dug up the following on the top 10 PAID applications from each country: There are 8 countries from the MENA region that are included in the iTunes... Read More
Facebook marketing: Honda and Car Town case
A while back I read an article about how Honda is advertising on Facebook, and they weren’t just setting up fan pages for each of their models (although they do have pages for each of their models!). They went a step further and partnered up with Cie Games to utilize, and for the first time, social media gaming as an advertising platform. Introducing Car Town which is kind of like farmville for car lovers, its a Facebook application that lets... Read More
The launch of AppsArabia = Ideas + Training + Community + Fund
Abu Dhabi-based content creation community, twofour54, is about to launch an Arabic applications development fund for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad called ‘AppsArabia’. This is the second fund for Twofour54 Ibitkar after their their launch of Creative Lab. This fund will provide funding and support to start-ups and early stage Arabic content initiatives. ‘AppsArabia’ will invest in the best ideas for apps from entrepreneurs, app developers... Read More
Don’t have iPAD but wondering what they are doing with it [Report]
Basically the title was supposed to be “I know what you are doing with your iPAD”, but since only a handful people in the Middle East got their iPAD, I couldn’t title it for now. A report that covers over 2,385 exclusive iPAD apps tells you what they are doing with it and what more likely you will do as well if you had one. (iPhone app that are compatible with iPad were excluded in the analysis) Top Categories of Apps: Games: The... Read More
Find Out How Apple Kicks Down Competitors and Kicks Up Performers
Apple product introduction today to the new revolutionary device doesn’t mean it’s just another gadget with Multi-Touch display to buy, there is a complete business model that works behind this product which makes things tougher on competitors and opens up a lot of opportunities for partners who are/can-be up to speed. iPad, the new 0.700 kilograms slate-style tablet which will be available to purchase in market after 6-8 weeks (March) makes it... Read More
Apple Launches iPad: Read The Very Detailed Official Press Release
This is the official Apple press release: Apple today introduced iPad, a revolutionary device for browsing the web, reading and sending email, enjoying photos, watching videos, listening to music, playing games, reading e-books and much more. iPad’s responsive high-resolution Multi-Touch™ display lets users physically interact with applications and content. iPad is just 0.5 inches thick and weighs just 1.5 pounds— thinner and lighter than any... Read More
Taya IT Launches In Beta A New Content Discovery Portal for Arabic Web
In an optimistic move towards the internet in the Arab World, a firm specialized in enterprise and internet search applications, Taya IT, announced today the launch of a new content discovery portal which serves as an independent gateway to discover and share the best content on the Arabic Web. Yajeel.com was released in beta featuring a new search engine as well as content-specific categories serving as dedicated portals to the most popular topics... Read More
Facebook Launches The Third F8 Developer Conference
Facebook platform launches Third f8 to empower its community of developers that owns over 500,000 applications and over 300 of those have more than one million users each to hack, to build and to delight users. f8 will take place on April 21-22, 2010 in San Francisco. The first f8 conference was launched with 800 developers and entrepreneurs at that time. It helped build the innovative applications which paved the way for developers around the world... Read More
The First Brick For Building Mobile Innovation Ecosystem in The MENA Region
Finally mobile innovation ecosystem is taken seriously in the Middle East and North Africa, thanks to Qtel and Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP) recent agreement on long term association which will combine Qtel regional footprint in 17 markets, with cutting-edge mobile technology facilities QSTP to provide. This collaboration aims to develop relevant and localized mobile innovations in several areas, such as healthcare, education, banking and... Read More
Nokia’s Jordan Ovi Maps Featuring Drive and Walk Navigation
Nokia, the world leader in mobility, today announced the introduction of new services for the Jordanian market using the latest Ovi Maps application. Nokia’s maps and navigation solution gives consumers navigation features, local content and world maps directly on their mobile device. “By taking the navigation experience out of the car and into the pockets of the consumers, Nokia is enabling Jordanian consumers to explore and discover,”... Read More
Goal.com To Kick Off Free Mobile Application for Soccer Fans
Just in time for the FIFA World Cup Draw, Goal.com, the world’s #1 source for global soccer news, and Handmark®, the leading creator and distributor of mobile applications and services, today announced the launch of Goal.com Mobile for BlackBerry smartphones. The new mobile application delivers instant, real-time access to breaking Goal.com soccer news, including the most extensive coverage of the FIFA World Cup... Read More
Meet The Geek: Mohammad Basheer Talks About His Flagship
A casual interview unleashing a real geek lifestyle in Qatar. What’s Your Name, Sir? My Name is Muhammad Basheer Arnous. What’s your name on twitter? On twitter and social sites its smaller “mbaa” How old are you? 23 years old. When did the geekation started to rise? When I was a kid, I used to go with my uncle to work in order to use his computer and it was my true temptation so learned a lot on computer skills as well as internet.... Read More
Founded by Arab, Admob To Be Acquired By Google For $750 M
AdMob has announced today that they have signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by Google for $750 Million in stock. AdMob was founded in 2006 by young Arab entrepreneur Omar Hamoui as a mobile ad network focused on selling and serving display ads on mobile browsers. However much of its recent growth has come from mobile apps — an area where iPhone and iPod Touch devices dominate. The company has worked with thousands of advertisers to... Read More
MediaWeekME Monitor (Oct 25): Maktoob, Jeeran, Google, Yahoo, VEVO
Read in Media Week Middle East (October 25, 2009) about digital/interactive media. Yahoo! boss bullish after maktoob deal - Yahoo chief executive officer Carol Bartz is hoping the company’s deal with Maktoob.com will help it achieve a positive Q4, after seeing revenue fall in the 3rd quater 12% year-on-year. twofour54 in hunt for young Arab talent - a funding programme called twofour54 ibtikar: creative lab has been launched to engage young... Read More
