One App to Book Tours and Hotels with Discounts

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The month of May is about to end and so is another amazing summer season. Boracay may have been closed until October this year, but that only convinced us to check out the shores of La Union, take road trips to Laguna and Batangas, or settle for staycations in Makati and Quezon City. The previous months have certainly been fun, but as the rainy season draws near, the only question is, “How do you plan to spend the last week of summer?”

With barely a week to go before June, we definitely have a bit of time for one last summer hurrah. To make planning for that last-minute vacation easy and convenient, check out what the TravelBook.ph mobile app has in store for you.

The TravelBook.ph mobile app is used primarily for booking hotels in the Philippines, but recently, it has become bigger and better with the addition of activities which range from theme park access, beauty and fitness, sports and recreation, restaurants and dining, to tours and sightseeing, at cheaper prices.

And it does not end there. To fully encourage people to try the best in leisure in the country, reward points are now available for tour bookings as well. With TravelBook.ph, guests will earn back 5% of the total amount they spend in the form of reward points. These points, once accumulated, are as good as cash and can be used for all of your future bookings, be it hotel or tours. Best of all, the prices of activities and tours in the TravelBook.ph mobile app are cheaper compared to their regular rates.

So for that last summer trip and for your future vacations, be worry-free, practical, and smart by using the TravelBook.ph mobile app. Download it now on Android or iOS!

Batibot Now on App Store

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Educational app develops essential thinking skills among children

Parents using iOS-powered smartphones and tablets can now download for free the Batibot mobile application, an interactive version of the beloved TV show that helps enhance learning among children.

Earlier launched on the Android platform, the app features fun games that teach kids basic learning concepts like matching, sorting, and grouping. The app also lets children practice tracing letters with the proper strokes, and helps them identify shapes, colors, numbers, and letter sounds.

The app’s “Awiting Batibot” feature enables kids to sing along to Batibot songs, while “Kuwentong Batibot” contains local stories that promote good values.

What makes the Batibot app stand out from other educational apps is that it is the only app in the Filipino language that is aligned with the kindergarten curriculum of the Department of Education.

The Batibot app is the product of a collaboration among Smart Communications, Community of Learners Foundation, and developer startup OrangeFix. The app jumpstarted Smart’s efforts to work with various communities and organizations to create literacy apps in local languages.

NCCA, DOT Launch KulTOURa Mobile Travel Guide

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There is a new mobile app that can help tourists enjoy their stay in the country by giving them a better appreciation of Philippine culture and history. As a bonus, it’s great for students too.

This is the Kultoura Philippine travel guide app which the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Department of Tourism (DOT) launched today in collaboration with PLDT wireless subsidiary Smart Communications and InnoPub Media.

Representatives from Smart, NCCA, DOT and InnoPub sign the memorandum of agreement for the KulTOURa app at Rizal Park Visitors Center.

The Kultoura app features information on heritage sites, historic schools and churches, nature parks, popular attractions, famous landmarks and other must-see places in various parts of the country. The app also contains colorful details of the history of selected cities and provinces, including their famous personalities, delicacies and other interesting trivia.

Available as a free download for Android and iOS devices, the app is continuously being updated to provide more relevant content and encourage travelers to explore the country. It will soon offer other services such as a chat bot, which can give automated travel advice; allow users to take virtual tours; and enable purchases via a digital marketplace.

Though initially designed as an aid for tourists, the mobile app is also a handy resource for students. The comprehensive information found on the app can help them gain a better understanding of the rich culture and history of the country.

Be Prepared for Disasters with the Batingaw Mobile App

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Because readiness is the key to survival.

The country has been hit by a series of earthquakes in recent months. PAGASA has also officially announced the start of the rainy season. In the next few months, we can expect typhoons and other weather disturbances to enter Philippine area of responsibility every now and then. What are we doing to keep ourselves and our families safe? One of the most important tools that you can have in the midst of an emergency is a survival kit, and you can now carry around your own survival guide with you through your mobile phone.

In partnership with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and app developer Tudlo, Smart Communications came up with the Batingaw mobile app – a handy mobile guide that educates users on disaster-preparedness and gives them tools that can be used in emergency situations. With the Batingaw app, the mobile phone can be a more powerful addition to the family’s emergency survival kit.

The Batingaw app was designed to aggregate important and timely disaster and emergency preparedness updates from government agencies and citizens. With the built-in tools, the app can let you do all these and more:

1. Know what to do to prepare for and survive disasters like flood, earthquake, fire, tsunami, cyclone, and more.

2. Set off a siren to alert and call the attention of your family or community.

3. Let family and friends know that you are safe by simply pressing the “I Am Safe” button.

4. Use your phone as a flashlight.                                                               

5. Get to your designated meeting place or evacuation site through a compass.

6. Be easily tracked or easily call the attention of responders through a strobe light.

7. Get reliable information from authorized government sources.

Now, we can boost our disaster preparedness with just a few taps on our smart devices. Download Batingaw for free by searching the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, or going to bit.ly/Batingaw-Android or bit.ly/Batingaw-iOS.

Lamudi Releases Innovative App for Real Estate Brokers

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Real estate agents need to be able to manage their listings reliably, fluidly, and on the move, especially since real estate is moving online. The new version of property portal Lamudi’s app brings real estate brokers an efficient and highly functional way of listing and selling properties.

An App for Filipino Real Estate Brokers

A typical day in the life of licensed real estate broker is fast-paced, and in an effort to make things easier for them, Lamudi has launched an enhanced app that responds to the rapidly changing face of real estate. More than ever, house-hunters are going online to find property rather than looking for paper listings. Kian Moini, co-founder and managing director of Lamudi Global, notes that “an increasing number of house-hunters in the emerging markets are heading online to search for and to buy property. Real estate agents have to adapt to a rapidly changing environment to meet customer demands, and to provide the best customer experience possible.”

The Rise of the Smartphone

In many emerging and frontier markets, such as the Philippines, new Internet users are skipping desktop and heading straight to the smartphone with its plethora of apps and social media outlets. In fact, according to Ericsson Mobility Report released in mid-2016, the Philippines’ number of smartphone users is expected to double from approximately 40 million to 90 million in 5 years, a boom that is driven by the increasing affordability of these hand-held devices. In the first quarter of 2016 alone, about 3.5 million smartphones were shipped to the Philippines, according to data from the International Data Corporation. Therefore, Lamudi’s app responds to this exciting trend by giving sellers and brokers access to the millions of house-hunters who are actively seeking a home using their smartphones.

How Does the Lamudi App Work?

From uploading new properties and managing inventories, to receiving client messages and performing advanced analysis, brokers can take care of everything at the tap of a finger thanks to the application. The app’s top priority is to help brokers to showcase their business in the most impressive way possible. Through creating a detailed profile and a thorough description of their services, brokers and sellers can demonstrate their reliable and transparent services and gain the trust of potential clients. Clients can see photos of each property, complete contact details, and precise information about each service.

Attractive Layout for Property Services

The app’s design is important, especially for clients, who value not only usability but also a clean and attractive design. This makes using the app a more pleasant experience. Recent updates include the integration of a progress bar on the “Manage Properties” tab. Brokers can now preview their properties as they go along and monitor the speed of uploads when they add new information or new images. In addition, it is now possible to add breaks in property descriptions, making the layout of each property description more visually appealing to house hunters.

Listings Are Visible to Investors on a Global Scale

The world of real estate is constantly being transformed by technology, and the Internet has played a large part in the globalization of real estate investment. Presenting properties on Lamudi’s international platform opens up agents’ listings to investors from all over the world. When listing properties, agents can now add a currency code. Each property’s price can show up both in US dollars and in Philippine peso, whatever suits the agent’s target market best.

Through innovation and global expertise, Lamudi offers brokers and house-hunters flexibility and a wealth of enhanced features. Selling and renting has never been easier, and the engineers at this platform are always striving to go further.