Johannesburg, 09 Dec 2009
20FourLabs was named the overall winner of the Nokia 'Calling All Innovators' contest this week. The winning application, Afridoctor, earned the developers R600 000 in prize money.
The competition, introduced in July, called for developers to generate applications and solutions relevant to South African and African consumers. The Afridoctor app helps make healthcare affordable and accessible to the people of Africa.
Afridoctor is a mobile health clinic application. “The app introduces a 'SnapDiagnosis' system which allows users to submit photos of their ailments and remotely receive advice from a panel of medical professionals,” explained Bradley Voges, business development manager at Blueworld Communities, a division in 20FourLabs.
The app also has a mapping feature which assists the user in finding doctors, clinics and health-related services nearby, he added. Additional features included symptom checkers, first-aid information, health calculators and quizzes.
While Afridoctor is currently limited to use on only five Nokia models, the company plans to develop the app for feature-phone agnostics, Voges noted. This will extend its reach further into Africa, he added.
According to Nokia, over 125 submissions were received during the competition period, showing Africa is definitely on the map for mobile technology.
“We received a number of top-quality entries and the winners have invested a significant amount of time and thought into their applications,” said Helen Jarvis, service marketing manager at Nokia SA.
Voges said: “We were very surprised to win the contest as we weren't sure about what the competition was bringing to the contest. Winning the contest has opened the door to allow us to build a strong relationship with Nokia to extend the reach of Afridoctor,” he added.
“We look forward to working with the South African and African developer community in the future,” concluded Jarvis.
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