Smart powers first Tech Fest in Davao

MANILA, Philippines - All roads lead to Davao for the inaugural Technology Festival, a weeklong celebration powered by Smart Communications Inc. which will feature activities for the academe and the tech and business communities

During the week, previews on the latest gadgets and service offerings, learning sessions, activity kiosks, and special rewards will be conducted at the University of Southeastern Philippines (USEP), Smart’s partner school under the Smart Wireless Engineering Education Program (SWEEP) since 2004. Events are open to the public.

The Tech Week kicked off last Saturday with the HTML5 DevDay Davao, the first HTML5 hackathon in Mindanao, which brought together the country’s top HTML5 enthusiasts and practitioners and put a spotlight on the important skill sets in producing successful Web and mobile apps.

It will culminate on July 28 with a one-day bootcamp from IdeaSpace Foundation Inc. where aspiring technology entrepreneurs will be able to learn opportunities for startups and get the chance to pitch their technology business ideas.

Mindanao’s first Technology Festival comes at the most opportune time as Smart has just completed upgrading its mobile phone network.

Originally scheduled for completion in 2013 as part of the P67-billion network modernization program of the PLDT Group, over 9,500 Smart base stations have been installed with next-generation equipment.

This has increased the network’s capacity to handle calls, text, and mobile data leading to enhanced service quality and reliability across the country.

“This Technology Festival is a testament to Smart’s strongest network in Davao. Information and communications technologies, including applications and solutions, play vital roles in enabling and interconnecting people and communities. Davao is a great place right now for tech,” said Orlando Vea, Smart chief wireless advisor.       

Meanwhile, the Smart Developer Network (Smart DevNet), is kicking off in Davao a series of hackathons for wireless application developers to code, present and pitch a functioning HTML5 app.

Hackathons are events where computer programmers and others in related fields collaborate intensively on software-related projects.  

“We are in the unique position to go beyond call and text, by providing the most advance and extensive platforms to benefit the developer community. This is the future of telecoms; we are making it available today,” said Jim Ayson, Smart partner management senior manager.

“HTML5 will allow developers to create useful and relevant apps that can be used by a variety of devices,” he added.

Members of DevNet can gain access to Smart tools, resources and activities. They will also have the unique opportunity to make their homegrown apps available to a wider audience, through Smart’s 50 million-strong mobile subscriber network.

For the HTML5 Dev Day Davao, prizes will be awarded to professional and student developer teams with the best applications. Smart DevNet support teams and resource persons from across the local and international developer communities will also be onsite to provide expert guidance in coding applications in HTML5.

To cap the week of festivities at USEP, Smart, together with PLDT, Philex Mining Corp. and Davao Doctors Hospital, is bringing the IdeaSpace: #Technopreneur Bootcamp @Davao, the first startup bootcamp in the region, in a bid to promote technology entrepreneurship among the youth and the academe. The event is supported by the Davao ICT Council and Davao Bloggers. 

Developers and schools interested in Smart’s DevNet and the Technology Week activities can learn more by visiting the Smart Developer Network page at http://smart.com.ph/developer.