By Alexander Villafania
MAKATI CITY, METRO MANILA – Filipino mobile application developers are encouraged to create innovative software for a global market in the first Ideas & Apps Philippines Challenge.
The initiative was brought to the Philippines by US-based software development organization AppBridge, in partnership with Globe’s Kickstart Ventures, Inc.
The global initiative came out as a partnership among several other international organizations, namely the Clinton Global Initiative, the Forum of Young Global Leaders, and the World Economic Forum.
It is intended to have software developers create low-cost mobile applications that would solve specific regional problems.
These apps should mostly focus on helping the poorest section of the society and focus on their needs. Among the categories in the contest are solving problems for education, literacy, mathematics, science, health, job skill training, and entrepreneurship.
AppBridge started the first stage of the project last month, conducting online activities that would gather ideas from ordinary people focusing on solving social problems using mobile technology, notably SMS.
This will be followed up with the three-month development process – from June 10 to September 1- wherein participants can start creating SMS-based applications. Entry ideas must be submitted to the AppBridge website not later than June 5.
Upon the completion of the applications, Kickstart Ventures, which is the incubation division of telecommunications firm Globe Telecom, will distribute the chosen applications to areas in the Philippines where they are most needed.
Chosen entries will also be announced on September 10 in time for the World Economic Forum Summit in China as well as the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting
In a statement, Margo Drakos, AppBridge founder, said that the Philippines is a good candidate to be a recipient of mobile technology-based support due to the large number of mobile users.
In addition, the large population of people living under $2 a day makes it a prime candidate to pilot test some of these applications.
“Local citizens know the challenges their community faces first hand. We hope the competition would encourage people to share their innovative ideas or apps that address local problems through mobile phones.
“We are eager to watch the ideas and apps submitted through the online AppBridge Forum, and to follow the distribution and effectiveness of the mobile apps distributed to the citizens of the Philippines,” Drakos said.
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