Spice to support mobile apps developers

KOLKATA, INDIA: Mobile handset maker Spice is aiming to focus more on mobile applications and also planning to come up with incubation centres across the country for application developers, a top company executive said Monday.

"Right now we are doing a lot of the work in north India and Bangalore. I think there might be opportunities to do something in that area in Kolkata. We are doing retailing across the country. We have 20 shops in Kolkata and we will be expanding that to 100," S Mobility managing director Dilip Modi told reporters here.

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The company will also launch a prototype of its application feature phones - with in a price range of Rs.3,000 to Rs.5,000 - by the end of this month.

"Our focus is mainly on developing application feature phones with in a price of Rs.3,000 to Rs. 5,000. We want developers to build applications for us and hope to have a kitty of 100,000 applications," Modi said.

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He said the company's plan was to give financial support of about Rs.50,000 to the developers and will set up incubation centres, including one in Kolkata, for them across the country.

"We are launching a forum for this, called mobile applications developers forum, where we are launching applications like mobile healthcare, mobile educations and various other utility services," he said.

"On Nov 19, we will launch the empowered forum for this. Our aim is to rope in 100,000 entrepreneurs and will give them finance and a platform through Spice applications," Modi said.

The company will be launching the prototype of application feature phones by the end of November in New Delhi, he said, adding the company was now focusing on mobile devices and mobile software.

"Our aim is to develop an Apple like product with a price range of Rs.5,000. We are working closely with Mediatek to add these smart features to our phones," Modi said.

Taiwan-based Mediatek recently bought ten percent equity in Spice Digital.

Spice is also working with Mediatek in an effort to make internet more popular.