Samsung, Globe brings regional mobile app tourney on wearable tech

South Korea's Samsung Electronics has teamed up with Globe Telecom for the Philippine leg of the Samsung Regional App 2014, inviting local mobile talents to develop apps for wearable devices particularly the Gear 2 and Gear Fit.Participants can compete in two categories, namely online and digital content and social business solutions. The local winner will receive $US 6,000 (P260, 000) in cash and $US 3,000 (P130,000) worth of devices.Winners from the participating countries will then go on an all-expense paid, one-week accelerator program in Singapore and vie for the Best App, which will get marketing support from operators within the SingTel Group and Samsung to launch its product in their respective markets.Anne Michelle Santos, manager for developer relations of Globe Labs, the developer community of Globe Telecom, said that the contest is meant to help introduce local talents to potential go-to-market partnerships, distribution and investments.“We want to give the start-up and developer community in the Philippines an opportunity to collaborate with the two market leaders so we are inviting them to take technology to the next level by creating innovative, functional, and original apps for Samsung devices using Samsung APIs (Application Programming Interface),” she adds.In turn, Samsung can get valuable ideas on how to develop better apps for its growing line of wearable devices. The brand is a notable early adopter of the technology which is forcasted by ABI Research to create a demand of 42 million wearable wireless sports, fitness and wellness devices globally this year.“This partnership will allow both Globe and Samsung to tap into the extremely talented pool of developers in the Philippines and to give them the platform to showcase their mastery of technology and design, aimed at providing consumers a better and smarter digital lifestyle,” Cris Concepcion, Samsung content & services director said.Interested participants are encouraged to utilize any of the Samsung Tizen SDK for wearable, and Accessory package in Samsung Mobile SDK.  They may also use the Globe Labs API for Voice, SMS, Charging, and Geolocation to create their applications.