Apps

These apps help in the fight against COVID-19

Making the job of medical frontliners easier

Published

April 9, 2020

Kenrick Buduan

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic shows no sign of slowing down. Most medical facilities are operating beyond their capacity as they try to accommodate and save the lives of those infected. Medical frontliners are leading the fight against the pandemic as they race to save as many lives as possible. As for most citizens, however, they are advised to stay at home to avoid the further spread of the disease.

However, that is not to say that citizens can’t do anything to stop the pandemic. One way for citizens to contribute to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic is to donate to various organizations. There’s also another way: using apps that are crucial to assessing persons at risk and disseminating valuable information.

Here are some of those apps:

1. ENDCov

A team of students from the Asian Institute of Management developed this app to assess whether a person is at risk from the disease. App users have to sign up and answer a survey that assesses them for their likeness to having COVID-19. The survey follows the latest surveillance guidelines set by the Philippines’ Department of Health and the World Health Organization.

The app will then determine a user’s health status and give advice on what steps to take next, including going on a self-quarantine or getting tested for the disease. Users can save the contact details of whom they’ve made contact with, as well as the places they’ve visited. This information is useful for frontliners doing contact tracing on a person under investigation.

Those who are skeptical about using the app due to privacy concerns can set aside their fears since the app conforms to RA 11332 (Mandatory Disclosure of Notifiable Diseases Act) and RA 10173 (Data Privacy Act of 2012).

2. WeTrace

WeTrace has been getting a lot of attention lately as a local alternative to apps that offer contact tracing. The app is the product of an IT expert based in Cebu. It uses geolocation for contact tracing and patient mapping.

To activate, the app needs an Internet connection. Once activated, it assigns a unique code to each device for personalization. It will then trace a user’s timeline and movements and notify other WeTrace users nearby. If a user gets infected, the app will automatically notify the authorities and other people who came into contact. Plus, there’s a reporting function built-in to the app itself.

Also, users can know if there are active cases in their community through its latest news function.

3. COVID Watch PH

This app is created by the Philippine government through the collaboration of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth). Like the other apps on this list, COVID Watch PH is a real-time patient monitoring and contact tracing app.

Aside from locating patients and providing instant updates, the app also provides a triage assessment. COVID-19 patients can also request for financial aid that shall cover any hospitalization bills.

4. RC143

RC143 is the official app of the Philippine Red Cross. The organization modified the app to better respond to the pandemic. The app uses machine learning along with the wireless and sensory data from a smartphone to trace back contacts with other persons and determine exposure to the disease. In case that the app diagnosed a user with a possible infection, a user can connect to Red Cross for medical assistance.

One neat feature of this app is that it can alert users if they have been to areas with a high risk of infection or a high number of active cases.

As general rules, the CDC or The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention listed these to help with preventing the spread of COVID-19:

Stay home when sick
Cover coughs and sneezes
Frequently wash hands with soap and water
Clean frequently touched surfaces

Accessories

TicNote AI recorder launches in the Philippines

AI-powered transcription, translation, insights, more

Published

December 19, 2025

Manila Connoisseur

Mobvoi has officially launched TicNote, its AI-powered note-taking device in the Philippines for PhP 9,499. The thin and lightweight recorder is currently available offline and will soon roll out on Lazada and Shopee.

The pocket-friendly TicNote comes with 64GB of memory and offers up to 25 hours of continuous recording. Beyond these, it supports real-time translation in over 120 languages through the TicNote app.

Moreover, powered by Shadow AI, the device goes further with advanced insights, including Smart Summary, Mind Map View, Deep Research Reports, Aha Moment, and even AI Podcast Generation.

To complement the device, Mobvoi offers unlimited TicNote cloud storage and 600 minutes of free monthly recording time.

On paper, the TicNote AI recorder has several professional applications. It can be used for meetings, legal and medical consultations, and more scenarios to record high-quality audio.

Meanwhile, journalists can leverage the tool for press conferences and media scrums. Even content creators can use the tool as a microphone as TicNote can process high bitrate audio and save it to .wav format.

Still, there’s a catch. Users will still need a smartphone, tablet, or laptop to make the most out of TicNote’s AI-powered features.

And that raises the dilemma: modern phones already offer AI translation, real-time transcription, and audio-to-text uploads through popular AI assistants.

For consumers, the question becomes whether TicNote offers enough beyond what their phones already do — or if it will just make having both devices redundant.

Apps

Disney Plus: NBA Christmas Day games to stream live

More sports content also available on the platform

Published

December 19, 2025

GadgetMatch

Disney+ will stream the entire 2025 NBA Christmas Day games slate live on the platform for Philippine basketball fans to enjoy.

Fans can tune in to the anticipated matchups starting at 1:00 AM (Manila time) on December 26.

Here’s the full schedule:

1:00 AM: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New York Knicks
3:30 AM: San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
6:00 AM: Dallas Mavericks vs. Golden State Warriors
9:00 AM: Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers
11:30 AM: Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Denver Nuggets

And in case viewers missed a tip-off, the full replays will also be available on the app. Worth noting is the second matchup, which is a rematch of the Emirates NBA Cup semifinals.

Meanwhile, the third pairing brings long-time former Golden State Warrior Klay Thompson back to the Bay Area in a compelling match.

Plus, the Rockets-Lakers showdown features two seasoned veterans and future Hall of Famers Kevin Durant and LeBron James in their latest meeting.

Beyond the NBA Christmas Day games on Disney+, fans can stay plugged in all day with ESPN’s NBA Tip-Off at 12:00 AM. Inside the NBA, on the other hand, airs at 8:30 AM.

In addition, for something totally different, check out NBA alt-cast, Dunk the Halls, the first real-time animated NBA game.

This playful showdown happening also on December 26 at 1:00 AM reimagines the Cavaliers-Knicks tiff on Main Street, U.S.A. in Magic Kingdom Park, with some help from Mickey Mouse and his friends.

In line with Disney+’s NBA Christmas Day games, the platform has also uploaded highlights of the 2025 League of Legends KeSPA Cup on the app. The tournament features top teams from Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and North America.

Disney+ continues to strengthen its sports offerings on the platform, with an all-new Sports Page for easier access.

Apps

Google Maps is finally getting a power saving mode

Waze needs this update, pronto.

Published

November 28, 2025

Luigi Leonardo

In a congested country like the Philippines, using navigation for shortcuts is a requirement. However, these apps can hog a lot of battery. If you forgot your car charger, it’s practically game over for your phone. Today, Google is shipping out a Maps update which can save your phone’s battery for those long drives.

Announced earlier this month, the update will include a Power Saving mode for Google Maps. The new mode will turn the normally colorful interface into monochrome with particular emphasis on black. The interface will reduce all interactable elements, so you can just focus on the display.

Presumably, it also reduces the power required by the app, while still prioritizing navigation. According to Google, smartphones will get up to four hours more juice when the mode is enabled.

Unfortunately, it’s not a widely released update yet. Google is limiting the update’s rollout to the Pixel 10 series for now. It’s also limited to driving mode; it won’t work if you’re just walking or cycling. The option is accessible through Driving options under Navigation in the settings.

In countries where Android Auto isn’t the norm just yet, a power saving mode for navigation is a godsend. Besides hoping that the update arrives on more devices, one can also hope that Google, who also owns the app, will introduce a similar mode to Waze. (To be fair, Waze did have a battery saver option, but it just dimmed the display for long straights.

SEE ALSO: Android now supports AirDrop!