Welcome to Wamda's weekly startup news ticker, which will offer quick announcements and stories relevant to the region. If you have a quick news release to share about your startup, let us know at editor@wamda.com 

Wednesday 18 December, 2013 

Brate releases new web version replacing reviews with tips 

After releasing a business review platform back in October, Lebanese search engine Brate has launched a new web version that will replace old features with new ones that will align with a soon-to-be-released mobile app, as announced on their blog. The changes include removing reviews and replacing them with tips from users, introducing hashtags, liking tips and more space on the platform.

You can check the new changes here.

- RF

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Monday 16 December 2013 

Foodonclick launches in Arabic 

After it expanded to Saudi and Lebanon last October, online food delivery Foodonclick has launched an Arabic version to better target its new audience.

The website, which was started in June 2010 by Turkish online food delivery Yemeksepeti, has over “100,000 subscribers and over 1,000 restaurant partners across cities in UAE, Oman, Qatar, KSA, and Lebanon,” according to the press release.

In addition to an Arabic version, Foodonclick added more functionalities such as a new filtering mechanism to facilitate navigation, as well as better and bigger pictures that allow users to clearly see the dishes, the press release said.

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Souq.com launches its exclusive tablet, QTAB

During the Cairo ICT Conference, Egyptian online marketplace Souq.com announced the launch of QTAB, a tablet that will be sold throughout the region, exclusively on Souq.com.

“With its sleek, lightweight design, 7.9-inch screen, Quad Core-Cortex A7 processor, and high-resolution camera, the QTAB is ideal for all of your tablet needs, including games, chat, browsing, music, and digital sharing,” the press release states “Similar in quality to other higher priced tablets on the market, QTAB offers a solution that is affordable.”

“Our goal behind the QTAB was twofold: First, we wanted to offer high-quality access to mobile content via tablet devices for our Souq.com customers,” said Omar Elsahy, General Manager at Souq.com Egypt, “second, we wanted this access to be more affordable than the high-end devices currently available in the market.”

- R.F