Whats the latest apps?

CEBU, Philippines -  Two application suites celebrated their launch in Cebu last month, each boasting novel and functional features that are built around what users need - not around features alone.

Commuters are sure to find a lot to love in the Micab mobile taxi haling application by micab.co, just as learning institutions and educators are sure to see the functional upsides of the V-Smart learning management system by Vibal Publishing House Inc.

Micab - A taxi haling mobile app for Cebu's commuters

Unveiled to members of Cebu's media last Sept 23, Micab is essentially a taxi hailing application designed to work with GPS-enabled smartphones or tablets.

Proudly made in Cebu, the app simplifies the challenges one could encounter in hailing taxis, extending the functional aspects of today's mainstay mobile devices as more than just for making calls, texting, reading emails or browsing the net.

With its 2-kilometer coverage radius, Micab users can easily spot available taxis within their vicinity, just as taxi cab drivers can easily find passengers using the for-taxi driver version of the app.

Developed with security in mind, the app requires users to login pertinent details before they could start using it, just as the Micab for taxi driver variant operates with control number/driver identity safeguards.

Currently available in an Android OS version (with versions for iOS and Windows devices to come), Micab has teamed up with Ken Taxi, with 60 of the taxi operator's cabs equipped with smartphones and the application.

For using the app, passengers only have a minimal Php 5 charge, on top of their taxi fare.

The V-Smart learning management system by Vibal Publishing Inc

Formally announced during the course of the Future of Education II: Global Collaboration in Education forum (a part of the 2013 Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) National Convention's scheduled itinerary held last Sept 25), V-Smart is Vibal Publishing Inc's robust learning management system designed for Windows devices.

At its core, the suite is essentially a secure and integrated e-textbook reader, e-learning and classroom learning management system, designed to streamline the rudimentary tasks involved in the successful operation of digital classrooms.

Maximizing Windows 8's dynamic capabilities as a content creation, consumption and collaboration platform, the suite's functional benefits is backed by the cloud-oriented features of Office 365 for Education.

Designed to work regardless of the availability of an active internet connection, the suite functions with the versatile operational capacities of Microsoft's Windows 8 and Office 365 for Education, proving that a holistic transformation in education through technology doesn't need to be overly complicated. (FREEMAN)