Apps

Localized Mobile Apps in Ethiopian Languages

In a country, Ethiopia,  where more than 80 local languages are spoken, localization play a vital role to share knowledge and information digitally in the larger community. As the usage of Smart phone is increasing from time to time, availing the knowledge with local language is important. Now a days several millions of informations on specific topic is available in different languages on the internet. Even so the data size is growing overwhelmingly, making use of the data is important. In this aspect, the idea of “Apps in Local Languages”  attracted me to invest my time to develop more than a dozen Apps all designed barring the localizations aspect in mind. Some are in 3-4 major Ethiopian language, while most of them are at least in Amharic. English has been also included to give preference to the people who wants to access the content outside the local language speakers. 

The Apps are named by taking some Amharic words that I thought it will express them best. Below is the list of some of the Apps and their brief descriptions. 

1. 1. 1. Amharic Keyboard: Amharic Keyboard can be used to enter Amharic letters, numbers, special symbol, and emoji. The App can be also be used for both for Amharic and English letters. It is also available in different color and background to be selected. Additional buttons are also added for more functionality.
      2. Personal Family Tree: Personal family tree is an App that you can build your own family tree. The App can be used to create multiple family, add/modify data to each family tree, display the tree graphically, in pdf, etc. You can add/change images of each members, assign relationship, etc.
      3. Negarit App: This App will provide users to read and save most of Ethiopia’s Federal proclamations on mobile (for recent proclamation is given attention). Users need to have an internet connection to access the proclamations from the central server. Using this App, users can also download the proclamation on their local mobile to access them latter offline. Currently most of the Federal Proclamations are accessible in this version.
      4. Ethio Match: This is a matching game with 40 level to play by matching symbols that are existing. You can go step-by-step in the game winning 3 stars each time. To complete the game, you need to have 3 stars in all the steps. This version has only 40 steps to play. 
      5. QR Code Generator: This app will support you to generate a vCard enabled QR Code you can save in the home screen of the app or even save and share it to any friend. You can also scan vCard enabled QR Code or any plan text.
      6. Kids Math: Kids Math is a learning game designed to teach young children numbers and mathematics. Kids Math will help kids to play and learn and has four level of questions. They’ll have a great time completing games and parents will have a great time watching them grow and learn.
      7. Kids Slide Game: Slide game for kids below 4 years of age. The game helps them to recognize shapes and colors. It is also designed in two levels, age below 2 and above 2. For the first group, only colors and shapes while for the second group some more symbols. 

      8. 

         My Bible: This Holly Bible has functionality like listen and download each chapter of the Bible. Once user download a sound file, there is no need to be connected to listen the downloaded chapter. Search Facility is added in this version. 

      9. Cooking Ethiopian Dish : this App includes cooking recipe or instructions of local foods that are popular by most Ethiopians. The recipe is categorized in groups so that people can search their interest based on categories. 

      10. Ethiopian Traffic Symbols : this App is mainly designed to users that want to know all the traffic symbols and signages.  The traffic symbols are categorized with their restrictions rate to make accessing easy. This App has also included a quiz on the different traffic symbols and signages. Users can select categories and prove their knowledge on the symbols instantly. The questions, with multiple choices, will be generated randomly and evaluation is give instantly. In addition some miner information clarifying the major part of a car is also displayed and explained. Ethiopia uses different vehicle registration plate for different uses. All possible plate types are described and visualized in this section.

      11. Ethiopian Calendar: this App one of the first App I have programmed it. At that time, Amharic fonts are not fully integrated to all Android enabled smart phones and the Unicode was not assigned. Then I tried to represent the numbers in this app to be visible even if users don’t have the Amharic fonts on their mobile. The calendar will show the current date uniquely and users can go forward and backward by months. A few public holy days are also shown on one page. 

      12. Amharic Alphabets : this App is for users to know and learn the Gee’z alphabets that are unique and only used in Ethiopia. The naming will remember the Baby Bummers and partly the Generation X for using “የፊደል ገበታ” literally defined a single printed board containing all the Gee’z scripts and numbers on it. This board has two sections, one where similar scripts and their family’s is shown (ሀሁሂሃ) and the second section is where scripts are systematically mixed (አቡጊዳ) where both are included in this app. One has to graduate the first to the next. When school starts at the early age, every kid has one የፊደል ገበታ to learn them in common areas (local schools). This App, like the Ethiopian Calendar, don’t use the in built fonts on a mobile.

      13. Amharic Numbers : This App has similarity with the Amharic Alphabets. The additional feature include here is that users can listen each number after clicking it. The numbers shown looks limited, but you can build by concatenating them in systematic ways. To show that, one option is added to enter any below 10million and get it converted. While this number is not used commonly, this App will help users to remember them.

      14. Ethiopian Constitution : this App is to avail the currently working constitution for any reference in both English and Amharic. The 11 chapter and 106 Articles of the constitutions are shown. Users can click on each article to read article by article. Search facility is also part of the app.

      15. Ethiopian Unit Convertor :This App is programmed in four languages (Amharic, Tigegna, Oromiffa and English) to get conversions from one unit to another units in the same family. The categories are Speed, Distance, Weight, Temperature, Area, Fuel, Volume, Time and Digital. For example, users can easily convert degree centigrade to fahrenheit.

      16. Scan & Refill: This App is designed to easily access (using your camera) and read numbers from scratch cards and ready for any actions including requesting a refill to your own mobile, refill to others, transfer balance, balance enquiry, etc. 
      17.   Hotels and Restaurants : Using this App users can easily search a hotel or restaurants in Addis Ababa and also outside Addis and get the physical locations of the including the telephone numbers to call. The list is categorized to make the search easy in Hotels, National Foods, Asian, European, etc. After getting the hotel’s or restaurant’s address, users directly call from the App. The localization concept implemented here is, giving you local information to people in the country.
      18. Kuraz Flashlight: This App helps users to use their mobile gadgets as flashlight/torch. Easy and simple App where the buttons are designed in both Amharic and English.
      19. Learning Amharic Language: This App is specifically designed to Tourists or foreigners that can’t speak Amharic. Some common words used for early communications are specified in this App and users can easily speak them from the App directly. The phrases that are included are categorized in groups like traveling information, meetings, greetings, commerce, numbers, directions, days, months, etc.  Users need to select one and get the pronunciations of each phrases. 
      20. Amharic Sliding Puzzle: This App is a common game user can play with by moving the slice of a picture to form a full view of the given picture. Here, the localization is fully in Amharic and all pictures are known pictures from Ethiopia. Users can select pictures from the App, add the complexity and play by sliding the pieces to solve the puzzle.
      21. Ethio Missions In the World: This App can help the users to locate all Ethiopian embassies, missions and consulate located in particular countries. From there, users can see directly the location on the Google map, call and email directly from the App without entering the details. 
      22. Ethiopia’s Diplomatic Missions: The App is designed to provide information about the missions that are in Ethiopia. You can get the telephone number and the physical address of each mission. In addition to that, users can link to Google Map to get the exact location and also route how to reach there from current location. Using the phone number, users can directly call from App. The App includes also the unique car plate code given to each mission.
      23. Facts About Ethiopia: This App is designed to show Heads of Former States; Prime Ministers, Presidents and Emperors of Ethiopia in the past. Pictures and dates are included. In addition, flags used in different time and the three National Anthem are included. You can also listen the three Anthems.
      24. Map Of Ethiopia Offline: This App is an offline map for Ethiopia. You can use to locate specific cities, know the distance between cities, view one specific region, or city, zoom as you wish on your mobile. You need only once an internet connection to download map-data from the server. Once it is loaded, it will be used offline.
      25. Flags and Capitals Of All Nations: The App can be used to see the flags and capitals of all Counties registered at UN and some more. There is a category and search option to see about each country.
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