Alibaba to set up $161.49mln fund for mobile app ecosystemApril 15, 2013 - 15:30 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Alibaba Group said on Monday, April 15 it will subsidize handset makers that adopt its mobile operating system and will set up a 1 billion yuan ($161.49 million) fund that will dole out incentives for application (app) makers to populate its mobile app ecosystem, Reuters reported. Alibaba launched its owned mobile operating system, Aliyun, in 2011 with Haier Electronics Group Co Ltd, but the mobile operating system (OS) has not taken off with handset makers. Last September, a planned launch of a smartphone between Acer Inc and Alibaba was canceled due to what Alibaba said was pressure from Google Inc on the Taiwanese group. In its renewed push into the mobile sector, Alibaba, China's biggest e-commerce firm, will rebrand Aliyun to Alibaba Mobile Operating System and subsidize handset makers 1 yuan per month for every smartphone they sell that runs on Alibaba's mobile OS, according to the firm's official news blog, Alizila. Alibaba also announced that five additional handset makers were launching phones with running Alibaba's mobile operating system to be sold through telecom carriers and through Alibaba's online e-commerce platform, Taobao. The e-commerce firm will also encourage mobile app developers to build apps for its OS through revenue sharing and other incentives that will come from a 1 billion yuan fund, the blog said. More than 90 percent of China's smartphones run Google's Android mobile operating system. Google's dominance in China's mobile space was singled out by the country's technology ministry last month. A white paper authored by the research arm of China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said Google had too much control over China's smartphone industry and had discriminated against some local firms. Top stories Yerevan will host the 2024 edition of the World Congress On Information Technology (WCIT). Rustam Badasyan said due to the lack of such regulation, the state budget is deprived of VAT revenues. Krisp’s smart noise suppression tech silences ambient sounds and isolates your voice for calls. Gurgen Khachatryan claimed that the "illegalities have been taking place in 2020." Partner news Most popular in the section | Court in Azerbaijan extends former Karabakh leader’s arrest by 5 months The Binagadi District Court in Azerbaijan has granted the prosecutor’s petition to extend the arrest of Arkady Ghukasyan. U.S. still believes “peace is possible” between Armenia, Azerbaijan The United States continues to believe that peace is possible between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Vedant Patel says. Dozens detained as antigovernment protest continue in Armenia At least 63 people demanding Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation were detained on May 14 as they blocked streets in Yerevan. Family of Ilham Aliyev’s security chief owns vast property in UK As head of security for Azerbaijan’s president, Eyyubov is closely trusted by one of the world’s most authoritarian leaders. |