Singapore, 13 October 2009 – SPH Search’s mobile platform, Rednano Mobile, has teamed up with StarHub and M1 on an exciting new venture – a special directory for food lovers.

This service, called Makan, will be available through Rednano Locate, a Singapore-centric location-based directory which has won an international award for innovation.

Rednano, an online local search and directory service, will, through Makan, offer users a wealth of information on good eating spots with the added advantage of pinpointing the ones closest to wherever they are.

Makan, which is Malay for “food”, offers users food reviews, images and ratings of the establishments in their vicinity.

Subscribers of StarHub and M1 especially will find it easy to avail themselves of this free new service.

Rednano Chief Executive Paul Jansen said: “Rednano Locate has always been available for download by mobile users through sending the word “locate” by SMS to the number 33333. But StarHub and M1 are showing how much they care for their customers by pre-loading the software, making it even easier to people to start using Makan and all the other features of Rednano Locate.

“Thanks to these two telcos, the best places to eat are literally one click away for many mobile users.”

Makan will initially carry content from the food portal Wat2Eat.com, which is operated by iCell, one of Singapore’s WIRELESS@SG providers.

Mr Ken Chua, Chief Executive Officer of iCell Network said: “We are very excited to be part of the Makan project! Our Wat2Eat.com food portal has an extensive coverage of F&B outlets islandwide. We believe with this partnership between Rednano and Wat2Eat.com, food lovers can now easily find great food with the best deals with Makan and the free Wireless@SG network.”

Shortly after launch, Rednano Locate will include content from soshiok.com, another popular website for food-lovers.

Commencing October 2009, StarHub and M1 will be working to preload the Rednano Locate software in selected handsets, including some of their latest phone offerings. Both telcos will also mention the ready availability of Rednano Locate in their promotional materials of the mobile phones.

“With mobile phones at the centre of so many people’s lives, StarHub is always on the lookout for useful services and applications that enhance the lives of our customers,” said Mr Chan Kin Hung, StarHub’s Head of Products and Solutions. “Food is a passion to many Singaporeans; we are delighted to work with Rednano to offer Makan to our mobile customers, who can enjoy easy access to an extensive food directory to find good eating places and satisfy their cravings for any kind of food on their mobile phones wherever they are, anytime of the day.”

“We are always looking to introduce useful and interesting services to enhance our customers’ mobile lifestyle, and Rednano Locate is one such service. Our customers can access it to enjoy a wide range of information on the go, and now with Makan, also check out the best eating places across the island,” said Mr P. Subramaniam, M1’s Chief Marketing Officer.

The strategic partnership with StarHub and M1, which together have more than 50% of the postpaid mobile market, will enable SPH Search to boost awareness of Rednano Locate and accelerate the adoption of the service, which has already attracted global attention as a refreshing addition for mobile users.

About Rednano Locate

Rednano Locate offers users location-based information on companies, maps, the latest traffic information, and retail promotional offers.

Rednano Locate was officially launched in December 2008. It has been well-received by users due to its rich localised information. Handset manufacturers such as BlackBerry RIM and HTC have also shown their appreciation for the value of the service by preloading the software in their latest top-line mobile devices. In June this year, Global Telecom Business, a Euromoney publication for top managers in the telco industry, honoured Rednano Locate with an international award for consumer innovation.

Rednano Locate is currently supported on mobile phones which use the following operating systems: Symbian, Windows Mobile 6.0/6.1, BlackBerry and Java J2ME.

The latest version of Rednano Locate incorporating the new food service ‘Makan’ will be made progressively available on Windows Mobile, BlackBerry and Java J2ME in October, iPhone in November and the Symbian operating software in December this year.

Existing Rednano Locate users simply need to upgrade to a newer version when prompted to start using the new food service. There are no data charges for download or usage.

Users who do not have Rednano Locate installed in their phones can get it by sending the word “locate” to SMS shortcode 33333. They will receive a link to download the free application.

Editor’s note: SPH Search Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of Southeast Asia’s leading media organisation Singapore Press Holdings, is the company behind the Rednano online portal (www.rednano.sg) and Rednano Mobile, the platform for mobile users. Rednano Locate is a location-based service offered by Rednano Mobile.  


Issued by SPH Search Pte Ltd
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