2011 has been a great year for apps--and that is true in China as well. Here, hundreds of new startups have blossomed, and a good number of them have made some fantastic and good-looking services that are a credit to the iOS and Android platforms. (Of course, some old names got in on the action as well).
And so I thought it'd be a good idea to think back to some of this year's new apps, and find which ones have been rocking the ?free? section of the Chinese version of the iTunes App Store. Then I picked out five striking new apps that I spotted within the top 200.
As a result, I have five Chinese-made apps--all of which I?ve tested out at some point this year; and a couple of which I use daily--complete with a round-up of why they?re so special?
Weixin
Big daddy Tencent has done it again? Launched in January of this year, Tencent?s group-messaging app Weixin is a service like Kik or Talkbox, allowing users to send text, audio, or video clips to each other for free using GPRS or 3G data.
As we saw earlier this month, Weixin has quickly become China?s most popular group-messaging app with 50 million users, pushed forward by the social media giant?s insanely huge social user-base, far outpacing any of its earlier rivals.
Get the app for iOS, Android, WP7, or Symbian via the Weixin minisite.
Youjia
Youjia is part of a newer trend for location-based (LBS) apps - especially from startups--that pinpoint where you are and let you meet fellow users nearby. It?s all very informal and funky, with just pictures, messaging, and approximate distances to help you decide with whom to talk or flirt. There are many similar apps to Youjia such as Mix, Mojing (both for iOS only so far), or Momo for iOS and Android which do the same thing, and 2012 will likely see more contenders.
But for now, Youjia seems to be winning the race, as it?s the highest up in the iTunes App Store chart of any such services--now in 30th place in the free apps list in China and therefore probably garnering the highest number of users.
It?s in the iTunes store or the Android version is available from the Youkia site.
Vida
Vida is a photo-filter app and social network built on the Instagram model. Although it arrived late to the scene, launching this autumn at the TechCrunch Disrupt Beijing conference. It now seems to be the most popular indie photo-sharing app on the Chinese iTunes store, up in the 79th position.
Perhaps part of its success is in its funkiness--especially the minimal and unique UI--as well as how easy it is to browse through other people?s images in a timeline that scrolls along both axis.
Grab it from the iTunes store or the Android version is on the Vida site.
Huofar
Huofar?s app us in 97th place in the store?s list of popular free apps and is something entirely different: It helps users live more healthily. It does this by asking questions about your lifestyle, and gives you practical means to improve your diet using more nutritious food or Chinese medicine. A user can even turn the tables by asking the app to suggest a way to cure an array of common ailments.
In addition to its usefulness, the app is gorgeous, with a suitably ecologically-minded colour scheme.
Get the app from the iTunes store.
Weico
2011 has seen microblogging, known by the generic ?weibo? name in China, explode even further here with Tencent Weibo edging out Sina?s platform to still be the larger of the two with a reported 300 million users. But both Sina?s and Tencent?s own Weibo apps are bland, and just as this has happened with Twitter, some third-party apps have popped up that offer more style, customizations, and funky features.
Weico is the best of these. And although it only supports Sina?s Weibo service, that hasn?t stopped it becoming one of China?s most popular quirky and cute apps, now resting in 158th place in the Chinese version of the iTunes App Store.
Check out the app on the iTunes store or the Android Market.
Source: http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?r5666569917
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