November 27, 2015

Technology has made our lives easier- there simply is no denying this fact. But what about the less privileged regions in the world where even the most basic amenities that you and I take for granted are significantly more than luxuries? In such regions, consumer tech isn’t limited to just the latest smartphones and tablets and the like. It also refers to products that can truly be be life saving.

Let’s go take a look at 4 such products/ services that are helping shape the developing world like none other.

1. Obi Worldphones

Smartphones are more than just mobile phones. These days, they function more as our own portal to the entire world. Sadly though, even a relatively low end device is often out of the reach of a lot of people living in the developing nations. Thanks to Jon Sculley, former Apple CEO, premium smartphones are no longer out of reach.

Obi is offering premium smartphones at under $250- a definite bargain compared to the prices of equivalent devices. Its flagship handset- the Worldphone SF1, offers a 5-inch full HD display (1,920 x 1,080 pixels), a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor, a 3,000mAh battery and a 13-megapixel camera. It’ll sell at $200 for 16GB and $250 for 32GB.

2. Babylon

Access to medical care is often very poor in developing regions. In fact, according to estimates, a staggering 50% of the population in emerging regions still do not have access to even the most basic health care services. Thanks to Babylon though, there has been some headway into making medical attention more accessible to the underprivileged populace.

The Babylon app is essentially a personal health service that strives to make healthcare more accessible as well as affordable. It offers a consultancy service that connects patients to medical practitioners and can be used 12 hours a day and six days per week. By using advanced AI and health data, the app diagnoses patients and also offers them a completely free text based enquiry function for asking medical queries.

3. Luci Solar Lantern

Access to electricity is yet another thing that we take for granted, but is rare for the underprivileged. While we may keep our lights switched on even during the day, there are many for whom even lighting more than one lamp at night is financially impossible.

The Luci Solar Lantern is a great way to counter this problem. This solar powered lamp can be used to provide illumination for up to 12 hours on a single charge. Moreover, it is also very durable and can be collapsed to fold into itself, making it very convenient to carry around.

In fact, this feature makes the lamp a perfect choice for travellers as well as aid workers who need to visit remote places regularly.

4. Lifestraw

Like electricity, access to water is a major problem for the relatively underdeveloped regions. A United Nations report suggests that at present, there are close to 900 million people who do not have access to to safe and healthy supplies of water, making them susceptible to severe diseases and illnesses.

For such regions, the Lifestraw is no less than a godsend. The basic Lifestraw is essentially a tube shaped water filter that can eliminate as much as 99% of the germs found in water and can be used for filtering up to 1000 litres of water. Apart from this one, there are several other models that offer higher filtration capacities.

And the best part- the Lifestraw costs only about $39 (Tk. 3030 approximately).