I am pretty sure that this program has reached through the Philippines like a storm.įor those who have not heard of it you ought to check them out - bigger advantage just creating a free account through a computer, but if you got the bucks to make an account on cell phone, then feel free. So besides sim card support through the Philippines, it was also supporting other carriers from the U.S such as Verizon, AT&T (Formerly known as Cingular), T-Mobile and other carriers.
There are two ways of running this program - One is you can download the software and install it or you can just go to Chikka Javalite and run it through there - which I find much easier to do - since I bookmark it. I remembered correctly that those who created an account on a U.S cell phone it was like 25 cents per text - loss of advantage here. But others from different countries the prices varies. It cost 2.5 pesos per text those from the Philippines. I was able to just put the numbers of people I know and they would text me back. It was good to see that you can either set up an account on your computer or on your cell phone.
So I checked the website and tried it out, it was legit and was true. It all started when one of my friends and also my cousins mentioned to me that I can make free text messaging on cell phones in the Philippines. Meanwhile, Smart DevNet is the country’s fastest-growing developer network that promotes wireless technologies.I have been an active member of Chikka Messenger for almost 2 years now. (Smart), is a pioneer in web-to-mobile messaging systems and is the creator of the Chikka Text Messenger. Since creating Chikka Text Messenger, the company has evolved into an incubator for new technologies and innovation, producing telco-grade platforms and real value-added services for the new. Chikka was released by Chikka Philippines, Inc.
The API (application programming interface)allows developers to seamlessly integrate SMS functionalities into their web and mobile apps.Īmong the judges of the competition were Chikka’s chief executive officer Chito Bustamante, 37Coins cofounder Jonathan Zobro, and Glyph Games chief technology officer Alex Calero.Ĭhikka, a subsidiary of wireless leader Smart Communications, Inc. Chikka, short for Chikka Text Messenger, is an Internet-based instant messaging application that supports free SMS or text messaging between online users and offline mobile subscribers.
This service can allow students to avail of loans to pay for purchases or services, just by sending a text message to an official number.įor the online hacking challenge, the participants integrated the Chikka SMS API () into their applications. Winning the Jury Prize and taking home P15,000 worth of Chikka API credits were Miguel Abriol and Katrina Joy Magno of Team NP-Compete, who created Credit SIM Card. Team Super Heroes in Training composed of Jairus Bondoc and Sarwar Faruque won the top prize for the app TXTSUPPORT.CO, an SMS system that local government units or businesses can use to get feedback from their constituents or clients.
Ten developer teams pitched their Textified apps to a panel of experts for a chance to win P50,000 and P25,000 worth of Chikka API credits. To encourage developers to come up with more apps that can reach more Filipinos, the Smart Developer Network (Smart DevNet) and Chikka Philippines recently organized the “Textify: Chikka API Challenge” in Pasig City. However, majority of the population are still using feature phones and are still highly dependent on SMS for their communication needs. The Textify board of judges led by Chikka CEO Chito Bustamante join the competition’s champions Sarwar Faruque and Jairus BondocĪs smartphone usage in the country continues to grow, developers are spending a lot of effort to create smartphone applications relevant to the Pinoy market.