PH techies create app, win big in Facebook tilt

Besting other programmers from several Asian countries, Jason Sia, Miko Ignacio, Melvin Fetalvero and Josh Basarte, programmers working for home-grown innovation firm Chikka.com, won the "Hackathon's" Best Mobile Open Graph award for creating "Hear Me," an application that lets users post audio notes on their Facebook home page.

The term Hackathon

The term Hackathon was coined by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. Featured in the Academy Award winning film "The Social Network," Hackathons are Facebook's main recruitment method for finding talented programmers to work for the Internet giant.

The Hear Me application was developed as an iPhone application or "app" that would allow users to record voice greetings and post these on their own or on other users' Facebook pages. Other users can at the time listen to the recording, "like" it, and even share it with their friends.

The team from Chikka-now a subsidiary of Smart Communications-was able to create Hear Me in just four hours and without the need to use expensive IVR and VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) systems-technologies used in popular Internet communications software just as Skype and Yahoo! Messenger.

Chikka's flagship Chikka Text Messenger, which allowed Internet users to send short messaging service or "text" messages to mobile phone users, was the world's first commercially successful integration of web and mobile services.

Chikka.com recently merged with Wolfpac Mobile Inc., as well owned by Smart Communications, to form one of the largest web and mobile applications developers in the Philippines that cater to mobile Internet communities' demand for apps of high utility and high entertainment value.

"As you know, smartphones are now becoming more popular and at the core of this are relevant applications," Isberto said, adding that Smart Communications would build on Chikka's success to create more developer activity in the Philippines "so we can generate more innovations here to find international markets for Filipino developers."