Homesick and unable to come home because of COVID-19 pandemic, Filipino tech experts in Dubai developed an app that picks up information from news organizations to stay up to date with what’s happening at home.
Called News in Bullets, the news aggregator app summarizes news from major outlets in the Philippines and all over the world, making top global stories easy to read. It also alerts readers once a new article comes up and has the capability to filter fake news.
RJ David, chief innovation officer of News in Bullets, said that the app filtered the news headlines based on preferred topics and publication sources. The app gathers the stories that are of interest to the subscribers, saving them the time on web browsing as news and information are presented in digestible bullet points.
“Being almost 10 hours away from home—with a 4-hour difference in our time zones—is hard enough as it is as an overseas Filipino worker,” David said. “Through this innovation, we hope to bring news about home closer, when home is needed the most.”
The news app supports more than 65 languages, from Azerbajani to Zulu. Highly skilled and passionate editors sift through news sources and weed out potential misinformation so the subscribers will not fall into the fake news trap.
“It’s amazing how Filipinos abroad can perfectly collaborate with diverse talents from other cultures in order to bring our common goal of delivering quality service for readers and publishers alike,” said chief technology officer Clarence Ancheta.
The concept of the app was developed by a team of young talents in Dubai, mostly Filipinos. But the team also includes other nationalities.
“We all felt desperate to get any bit of news from home, and how our loved ones may be coping with the pandemic,” shared Ancheta.
Readers can also filter topics they don’t wish to read.
“There are some users who feel that they would be better off if they don’t read news regarding COVID or other topics they deem too stressful for them. Because of that, we are building a fully customizable environment to care for their mental well-being while also keeping them up to date with the news that matters,” said Ancheta.
The company will soon open its platform to the public so they can generate content on the News in Bullets app. “This means you will be free to post your own news content and potentially earn from the traffic you generate.”
Its Newsreels sections, meanwhile, targets youth who are highly engaged in social media as it allows the subscriber to view and upload their video content.
News publications can partner with the app.
So far, News in Bullets have reached a total of 22,627 active app units for both iOS and Android and has been ranked number 1 in News apps for Android and number 3 on iOS.