SLUSH Conference, HELSINKI Finland, November 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

• Blaast offers for the first time in the world tailored app data packages to smartphone users within XL Axiata's network in Indonesia
• The leading cloud-based mobile app platform, Blaast, expands to Android with collaboration with Sony Mobile on their new Xperia™ J

Blaast, the leading cloud-based mobile app platform, expands its offering from feature phones to entry-level Android devices and launches its Android service in collaboration with Sony Mobile and XL Axiata.

     (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121121/577758 )

Operators are looking for new monetization models to address consumers who are increasingly shifting to data heavy smartphones. Consumers state mobile apps as the primary reason for their shift to smartphones. At the same time smartphone data plans powering their app usage are expensive and inflexible especially in emerging markets. In relation to gross-national income, consumers in emerging markets pay 5-10 times more for data than in the US (based on data from the International Monetary Fund).

Tailored smartphone data packages for the first time in the world
Blaast introduces tailored data packages as a solution to match consumers need to use apps in an affordable and safe way with operator's business model requirements.

"The idea with tailored data packages is that users can buy data for their favourite apps in a flexible way. For example, a user might want to use a music streaming service for a day at a time, but browse Facebook and Whatsapp on a monthly basis. We can enable users to hand pick data for their apps for any given time," says JoonasHjelt, CEO and cofounder, Blaast.

Launch with Sony Mobile and XL Axiata
Blaast's cloud-based app store will launch in Indonesia pre-installed on Sony's new device Xperia™ J, an Android Smartphone with 4-inch display, beefy battery, 1GHz processor and 5-megapixel camera.

The service will make its debut in Indonesia in collaboration with the key operator partner XL Axiata, the second biggest mobile operator in Indonesia who will offer an inexpensive unlimited Blaast Apps data plan for 5 USD / month with 20 locally popular apps.

Cloud Technology

Blaast has built its cloud-based app platform especially for emerging markets, where networks are extremely busy and data is inaccessibly expensive for end-users. The service has its roots in the same cloud technology that already powers millions of users using Blaast feature phone service in Southeast Asia. Its key features are the ability to build a la carte data packages for smartphone apps, reduce data consumption through caching and compression and recognise real time usage patterns to introduce safe data controls for end-users and instantaneous on-device upselling opportunities for operators.

"Blaast aims to be the consumer's champion for using mobile apps. We want to offer people's favourite apps for less data and less money around the world. The pre-installation of Blaast on Sony Xperia™ J and first availability through XL Axiata is a great milestone for us in reaching our vision," says JoonasHjelt.

Slush, Northern Europe's leading startup conference takes place yearly in Helsinki, Finland. Slush brings together the early-stage startup scene from Northern Europe and Russia with top-tier angel investors and venture capitalists. Slush is organised by Helsinki-based accelerator Startup Sauna. For more information about Slush contact Charlotta Liukas, charlotta.liukas@slush.fi.

About Blaast
Blaast brings mobile apps to the next billion people. By using the revolutionary approach of running mobile apps in the cloud, and not on the device, Blaast brings rich, always-on apps to feature phones. The Blaast ecosystem consists of a vibrant 3rd party developer community, mobile operators and handset manufacturers whose goal is to provide high quality apps and user experience to mobile subscribers. Blaast's investors include the founding engineers of Skype (Ambient Sound Investment), Veturi Venture Accelerator, Steve Blank, and ex-Nokia SVP Pekka Vartiainen. Blaast has headquarters in Finland and presence in emerging Internet markets.

http://www.blaast.com

Resources
Slides: http://www.blaast.com/img/20121121_slides.pdf
Images: http://www.blaast.com/img/20121121_images.pdf

For more information contact Joonas Hjelt, CEO, Co-founder, Blaast on +358-405-610-201 or Joonas.hjelt@blaast.com.

SOURCE Blaast