KL Converge: Creating apps that connect people

The two-day event from Aug 27, in conjunction with this year's KL Converge, will see how innovators from across Asia meet, discuss, and challenge themselves to create an app that could be the answer to some of life's most common problems.

"On the first day, the participants will gather, meet and mingle around, discuss ideas and form a team for their project.

"And then they will be given 24 hours to finish the task. What is unique about this year's competition, is that every group will personally be mentored by AT&T's experts which are brought directly from the famous Silicon Valley," Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) Content and Applications Department director, Laurel Tan Bee Hiong told Bernama recently.

For example, she said, imagine working adults, living hundreds of miles away from their parents, feeling worried or concerned each and every day on how their parents were doing.

Due to the geographical factors, she added, going back to the parents' home would be quite costly even if it was only for once or twice a week.

"It is largely unbecoming for every working adult to give their parents a smartphone or laptop, assuming that the latter would have no problem using the digital method to get connected, using apps like WhatsApp, Facebook, or Twitter to get regularly in touch.

"Wouldn't it be great if the adults are able to monitor the life of their parents if they have health problems, with just a simple click via smart phone?" Tan suggested.

For example, she said, a sensor installed in the parent's house, would be able to monitor the movement, diet schedule, or to the extent of sending alerts if emergencies ever happened.

"These are the type of applications or technology that we would want the innovators and entrepreneurs to build during this year's KL Converge," Tan said.

As Malaysia moved forward to reach status of a developed nation by 2020, she said, it should be a must for everyone to understand that digital ecosystem could be used to make life easier, without losing the sense of humanity.

Tan said, the concept of the IoT was not something new, but there must be a concerted effort to create awareness and educate Malaysians on how to fully utilise it.

Touching on the competition, she said, it would be expected for the developers to take the life technology to the next level.

The mission of the third annual Malaysia Developers' Day, part of the KL Converge digital technology event is to build new apps for Connected Life, Connected Car or Connected Home in one of these three categories - community involvement, smart city solutions or commercialisation.

The winning team in each category will get to present their app at the KL Converge gala dinner on Aug 29 where the winner will take home the US$10,000 (about RM38,000) grand prize.

To be held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, KL Converge is jointly organised by the Communication and Multimedia Ministry, MCMC, National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas) and Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC).