Southern African developers have excelled in this year’s Huawei Apps UP developer competition, collectively topping both the number of registrations as well as the number of entries in the Middle East and Africa region.
Following a regional judging session, five South African apps were named in the 20 app regional finalist shortlist.
They are (in alphabetical order) Coresthetics, Droppa, K53 App, Secura, and UniAPS. They will now be sent for judging on a global level, with their developers potentially winning a share of $1-million.
Each of the selected apps was rated highly by the judges due to the societal need it addresses, as well as the value it adds to a user’s life. They also all have excellent technical functionality and a strong user experience.
Coresthetics is an exercise and fitness App that focuses on creating customised and personalised workouts based on the equipment (or lack thereof) that an individual has access to.
Droppa ensures that moving home or office is an efficient and effortless process. This on-demand delivery service is designed for transporting office and household goods and furniture, with a built-in delivery tracker and rigorous screening and training of drivers. This ensures that the goods in transit are handled professionally, and in-app calling allows a user to stay in constant contact with the driver.
Passing a learners or drivers test is one of the most nerve wracking things. With the K53 App assistance with preparing for both of these is just a click away. The learning section has three parts; road rules, road signs, and vehicle controls, providing comprehensive information on each of these, as well as practice tests.
Secura is a security app that assists users whenever they are in danger or feel threatened. A panic button alerts the control centre which then dispatches an armed response unit to the user’s live GPS location. The app also features an on-demand response service for medical emergencies. This ensures swift and efficient access to emergency medical
care when users need it most.
UniAPS provides high school students in South Africa with a way of checking what tertiary education degrees and courses they are eligible for, based on the marks they have received for their subjects in their final year of school. This not only saves the student time and effort, as they won’t apply for courses at tertiary education institutions which they will not be accepted for, but also relieves the burden on these institutions, as they don’t have to process such a large number of applicants.
Public voting of the 20 shortlisted regional Middle East and Africa Apps, as well as the finalists from the other global regions, will soon commence. The winners of the global competition will be announced towards the end of October, so keep a lookout.