From Inspiration to Innovation.
Global Consumer Trend Research
Written By Daniel on July 18, 2008 at 11:13 pm | In society, mobility, China | Please Comment
After the deadly “512″ earthquake, a couple of companies are thinking innovatively about rescuing solutions to natural disasters, which are also applible to emergent situations in other countries.
The idea that Hands-on-Chengdu program contributes is to build temporary rescuing villages with 4-6 containers, which are supposed to be strong, sturdy, safe, easy to move and fit out and provide other support facilities.
Having wrapped up the first phase of field work and planning, the project team has proposed an initial model(see pictures below). It is a place where people of affected area can reside, entertain, take medical treatment, study and so on so forth.
Primarily being a volunteering program, Hands-on-Chengdu calls for participation of more enterprises and individuals in rebuilding the affected area. The sum of domestic and international donations is huge after the earthquake. In that sense, it will be a good chance for brand-building and promotion in the process to set up the on-the-go communities.
The Program is now partnered with Shanghai Based SMC ALSOP and supported by Arup, REF and ACL.
Written By Daniel on July 8, 2008 at 4:44 pm | In Olympics, mobility, design, China | Please Comment
Samsung recently unveiled its new golden-plated SGH-D780 DuoS, which will be the official Russian Olympic Team phone in the coming August. Unlike many other Olympic manufacturers who simply print the five-ring logo on the products, Samsung made slight changes to the original D780 DuoS phone to get it more customized.
The handset offers two SIM slots for both domestic and Beijing local cards during the Games. It also has two megapixel camera, 2.1-inch QVGA screen, Bluetooth support, FM Radio, microSD memory card slot and a 1200 mAh battery.
Besides the super functions, the phone looks pretty cool with shining golden plates and the Olympic logo printed at the back. The price information of the phone will be available soon before the opening of the Games.
Written By Daniel on at 1:46 pm | In Olympics, internet, connecting, China | Please Comment
As an alternative to the unrealized pledge for providing 3G service during the Olympics, Wicity Project was recently launched by Beijing municipal government and China Communication Co. to offer free wifi access in some of the city’s key areas during the Games.
According to Sina.com, the wireless service applies WiFi+WiMax(802.16D) technology and covers an area about 100 square kilometer, including second and third ring roads, financial district, CBD, Zhongguancun (known as China’s Silicon Village) and Wangjing Economic and Technological Development Area(see the orange shaded areas in the map).
Laptop and PDA users can find a “CECT-CHINACOMM” network if they turn on their wireless connection in the
above-mentioned places. However, some testers report logging problem indoors although they find the outdoor signals are pretty strong.
The blueprint of Wicity Project is to cover the area within the fifth ring road of the capital by the end of 2009 and the whole city by the end of 2010. By 2009, 9000 wireless access points and 150 WiMAX stations will be set up, turning 90 percent of the streets in the capital accessible to Wifi.
Written By Daniel on June 28, 2008 at 1:23 pm | In social networking, China | Please Comment
Social networking (SNS) becomes more focused in China.
Trend Discription:
Instead of setting up an all-round SNS, the IT professionals in China chose to push the SNS to a more focused direction. They try to attract registers by inviting elites of the industry circle to the network and cater to the urgent needs of the people, such as providing job-hunting information.
Cases:
TechWeb, China’s IT information portal website, started the first “workmate” SNS on June 26. The SNS claims 2,972 members across 359 companies on its launching. It houses 11 sections such as mini-blog, online photo album and recruitment- and business-related simulation games. So far more than 50 virtual companies have registered on the website.
5G(Wuji, meaning Five Seasons) is an IT-industry-focused SNS co-launched on June 20 by a couple of IT elites like Oak Pacific Interactive’s former IT community Donews.com chief-in-editor Hong Bo, Microsoft global technology center founder Hua Hongwei and social networking site Linkoo.cn CEO Jin Xiaofeng. It aims to set up socialization platform for IT talents, promote discussions and offer recruitment information. Oak Pacific Interactive also runs China’s leading student-focused SNS: Xiaonei.
Trend Potential:
Asia is widely talked as having the most developed social networking in the world. Facebook introduced its simplifed Chinese version on June 26, the same day with the “workmate” SNS’s birthday. How much can it take away the share of local SNS and is it going the right direction? Let’s wait and see.
Written By Daniel on at 11:03 am | In e-commerce, mobility, China | Please Comment
Alipay, China’s leading online payment service announced plan to launch a special voice-verified payment processing system last week. Customers, within 15 seconds after purchasing online will get cellphone calls from Alipay. By following voice instruction and simply pressing two keys they get done with the payment. If payment service fails to reach the shopper like when his cellphone is out of service or shut off, it will send him a texted message reminding him of the purchase. The payment can be done later by replying the message.
The whole process of this voice-verified payment takes about 30 seconds and shoppers just need to be called by Alipay instead of calling banks and payment service companies by themselves. As most of Chinese cellphone users book receive-phone-free service, they do not need to pay anything in the paying process.
Alipay’s aggressive move to go mobile is backgrounded by China’s rapid developing mobile market. By April 2008, China boasts 565 million SIM card subscribers and a daily growth rate of 300,000. The number of internet users, however, is no more than half of this number.
Written By Daniel on May 30, 2008 at 1:50 am | In internet, technology, events, China | Please Comment
ChinICT is a major event focused on the most innovative and fastest-growing ICT (Information & Communication Technologies) startups from China and Europe. Now in its third year, the conference took place recently in Beijing on May 22nd and 23rd.
This year, the following Chinese startups gained recognition as leaders in their respective fields, winning the ChinICT “Rising Stars” Award: 51.com (SNS), 56.com (video sharing), Etonenet (mobile marketing services), Hdt Holdings Technologies (advertising), HiPiHi (virtual world), Madhouse (mobile advertising), Payzy (advertising services), PPLive (P2P video streaming), Qunar (travel services), Yeepay (e-commerce), Youku (video sharing).
More award winner info at Marbridge Consulting
ChinICT on YouTube
Written By Daniel on May 29, 2008 at 8:57 am | In sports, Olympics, technology, events | Please Comment
The upcoming Beijing Olympics will see one of the largest, groundbreaking uses of RFID technology to date - if this technology proves successful the event will go a long way to raising RFID’s profile, both within China and overseas. According to China’s Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission, August’s Games will be the first to feature RFID technology in its tickets, and will do so on a massive scale, with over 16 million RFID-enabled tickets set to be issued.
The tickets, using RFID technology developed by Tsinghua University and Beijing Tsinghua Tongfang Microelectronics Company, will be used to reduce counterfeiting and simplify the ticket checking process. The embedded RFID chips will have sufficient memory to store information such as the ticket’s date and place of purchase, as well as the ticket holder’s seat location. The Games will also employ an RFID-based food safety tracking system for the first time, with athletes’ food closely monitored from production through to delivery. Last but not the least the tickets will be eco-friendly too as they are printed on recyclable paper and use silver ink.
China has become the world’s largest market for RFID by value. This year spending on RFID in East Asia will account for US$2.8 billion, out of a global total of US$5.29 billion. The majority of this - US$1.96 billion - is just in China. This is largely due to a peak in delivery of national ID cards prior to the Olympics. About US$1.65 billion is being spent on 220 million of these cards, plus their associated systems, which are being delivered in 2008 out of a total project commitment of US$6 billion - this represents the largest ever RFID project to date. In addition, US$310 million will be spent on other RFID tags and their systems.
Written By Daniel on at 12:31 am | In society, environment, retail, health, consumer, China | Please Comment
Paul French at China Dialogue posted an interesting article yesterday about Western retailers and their approach to corporate social responsibility (CSR) in China. Fast food chains in particular appear to be employing lower CSR standards when it comes to operating in mainland China, compared to overseas, and even Hong Kong and Taiwan. It is a little surprising that companies like McDonald’s and Starbucks are dragging their heels when it comes to offering Chinese consumers healthier consumption options - any Chinese person who can afford to regularly stump up 30 RMB for a cappuccino is more than likely part of the growing middle to upper-class Chinese demographic. It is these people who travel overseas, are increasingly concerned about personal “wellness” issues, and who prinicipally populate the growing band of more environmentally aware Chinese.
Some Western companies do appear to be taking their commitment to the Chinese environment seriously. Swedish telecomms company Ericsson was recently awarded the title of “China Green Company” in a survey by China Entrepreneur magazine, Daonong Enterprise Institute (DEI), and Beijing University’s Guanghua School of Management for the firm’s continuous commitment to innovation in environmental protection in China.
The DEI is a not-for-profit, non-governmental think tank dedicated to conducting independent research related to Chinese entrepreneurs and their business practices. It is sponsored by China Entrepreneur Club (CEC), an independent, not-for-profit, and national membership organization committed to advancing social progress through promoting entrepreneurship in China. The DEI launched the China Green Companies Program late last year, and has recruited the founder of the Go Green Initiative Jill Buck to help out with issues surrounding CSR, sustainability, and environmental protection.
Another interesting article in the National Geographic tells the story of Green Camel Bell, a grassroots NGO working in Gansu. In the mid-1990s a mere handful of environmental groups existed in China. Today there are several thousand, including Green Camel Bell. The NGO was founded in Lanzhou 2004 to help clean up the city and protect the Yellow River. With only five paid staff, Green Camel Bell is a shoestring operation kept afloat by grants from an American NGO, Pacific Environment. The name they chose, after the reassuring bells worn by camels in Silk Road caravans, is meant to be “a sign of life”.
More on the development of Chinese NGOs here and here.
More on China’s tightening environmental regulations here.
More on the DEI’s Green Companies Program here.
Written By Daniel on May 28, 2008 at 4:47 am | In youth, society, internet, gaming, technology, China | Please Comment
McDonald’s in Hong Kong has been offering 20 minutes of free WiFi for all customers in their 24-hour restaurants since March last year. Now it seems as though these branches are attracting more than just local gourmands, with groups of young gamers spotted playing PSP and Nintendo DS until the early hours. In fact, McDonald’s has become such a popular gamer destination that Hong Kong game mag Gamestation lists all the 24-hour McDonald’s in the city for Monster Hunting.
McDonald’s WiFi program is offered in conjunction with Hong Kong wireless SPY5Zone and you can access the service through the Y5Zone SSID. Once connected, users can just click on the “20 minutes FREE WiFi everyday” image to start surfing. To continue surfing after after the allotted time, users can chose to pay HKD15 (approx US$2) for one day’s unlimited use, HKD39 (approx. US$6) for 5 day’s unlimited use, or HKD128 for one month’s unlimited use.
Late last year McDonald’s in the UK began offering free WiFi across its 1,200 restaurants, making it the country’s biggest provider of free wireless broadband access. McDonald’s already offers free WiFi in more than half of its 13,000 US restaurants, and has also started providing it in Belgium. It’s not clear whether McDonald’s will extend its free Wi-Fi scheme to the mainland - it appears as though some Shanghai McDonald’s restaurants had free WiFi although the service has been discontinued. Hong Kong’s gamers will soon have other free WiFi hotspots to hang out as the city embarks on a massive rollout scheme, although obviously the lure of banana pies and cheap ice cream may be hard to resist.
Written By Daniel on at 3:10 am | In economy, architecture, design, China | Please Comment
From Inner Mongolia’s windswept dunes to Shanghai’s coastal marshes, China’s nationwide orgy of construction and increasing prioritization of innovation and creativity are now encouraging more Western architects to head east. With a lucrative building and building design market driven by economic growth, artistic development, and a slew of world class events, the Chinese mainland is now seen as a logical progression for ambitious architectural and engineering companies of all sizes and reputations.
Typical of China’s budding avant garde architectural scene is the Ordos 100 Project in the sand dunes of south-western Inner Mongolia. Ordos is now a rapidly expanding city, funded by Inner Mongolia’s new-found mineral wealth, and needs to expand into the surrounding desert to keep up with the population increase. Ordos 100 is a billion-dollar “cultural district” of this expansion, consisting of one hundred 1000 square-meter luxury villas, each to be designed by an overseas architect, and financed by a wealthy Chinese client. These architects have been personally invited by Swiss “starchitects” Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron (designers of the Olympic Stadium in Beijing), and renowned Chinese artist, architect, and curator Ai Wei Wei.
London-based architectural practice DRDH, one of several UK firms involved in Ordos 100, is experiencing the Chinese construction market for the first time. For David Howarth, a DRDH director, the invitation to participate in Ordos was more than a little unexpected. “We were both surprised and delighted to receive an email from Jacques and Pierre asking us if we wished participate,” he says. “This project is special because of its curation by Ai Wei Wei, who we knew of and admired as both an artist and cultural commentator. The scope for creative freedom and the relative speed of Chinese procurement is an exciting opportunity for an emerging practice like ourselves who are only just beginning to get the opportunities to build on this scale in the UK.”
The 100 Ordos villas are scheduled to be completed by the end of this year.
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