Innovating a seamlessly connected life in the new normal: Huawei Developer Day PH 2021

In this new normal we have become even more reliant on technology to help keep us connected to the people we care about, so our usage of digital devices like our smartphones, laptops and tablets has significantly increased. Despite these challenging times, Huawei remains steadfast in its efforts to innovate and improve its products to better serve its users’ needs and to make it easier for everyone to stay connected. The company is motivated to provide better services to its users while also attracting new consumers and strengthening ties with developer partners. 

To keep everyone updated on Huawei’s recent undertakings to improve its products and services, the company hosted Huawei Developer Day PH 2021. The event was held on August 20 in Zoom and was also broadcasted live on Huawei AppGallery’s official Facebook page. Panelists included representatives from Huawei and the company’s developer partners — GCash, Konsulta MD, and Wish 107.5. 

Representatives from Huawei presented updates on Huawei’s growth as a company over the past year, as well as its plans for creating a digital ecosystem that can help keep everyone connected.

Mr. George Li, Huawei Philippines Consumer Business Group Country Manager, gave an update on Huawei’s growth over the past year, reporting that the company maintains a positive growth and that Huawei continues to invest in ecosystem growth. Li also reported that 96% of top Filipino apps are now available in the company’s very own AppGallery – a clear testament to the brand’s robust efforts in meeting the changing needs of its highly digital customers. 

Meanwhile, Mr. Charlie Kong, Head of Ecosystem at Huawei, talked about the HMS Core and Huawei Ads. According to Mr. Kong, the HMS Core is updated regularly and its latest version is capable of high-precision modelling for generating 3D models of objects. 

As part of the company’s plans to develop an excellent IT ecosystem, Huawei designed Harmony OS 2. Mr. Godwin Wong, Senior Technical Manager at Huawei Philippines, shared updates on the new operating system. Harmony OS is designed to improve sharing capabilities between Huawei devices for smoother user experience. For example, a video call can easily be transferred from your smartphone to your smart TV. With the launch of this new operating system, the company hopes to develop an excellent IT system that can keep everyone connected in this new normal. Harmony OS is also part of the brand’s 1+8+N strategy, which aims to provide effortless, seamless, and steady connections for Huawei devices, including wearables and home appliances such as the smart TV.

Aside from the Harmony OS, Huawei has also been working on Petal Search and Petal Nearby. Senior Product Manager of Huawei in the Asia-Pacific, Mr. Sunyuankai Zhang introduced Petal Nearby and how it improves user experience by making it easier for users to find local services that would interest them. To make the searching more efficient, Petal Nearby connects users with all local services like hotels and restaurants so that they can easily find them and book a room or a table online. Petal Nearby is also useful to SMEs in the Philippines as this new feature can help them connect better with their immediate communities, allowing increased business activity and transactions. This is opportune in a time where safety protocols are strictly implemented. 

Meanwhile, Huawei Philippines’ Senior Solutions Architect, Mr. Allister Espina introduced the new upgrades to Huawei Cloud. Local organizations and enterprises now rely on digital solutions like various cloud services as they digitize their operations – bolstering their chances of not only sustaining their businesses and endeavors, but growing them as well. IT and business decision makers in the Philippines were quick to strategically forge partnerships with Cloud service providers to make their operations much more adaptive and resilient. And as a leader in Cloud services, we are glad to have helped our many partners from different industries digitize the various facets of their operations and systems. With its upgrades, Huawei Cloud provides a wide range of products and solutions that can help users adapt to the digital world, like making it easier for businesses to shift to a digital platform. 

Huawei’s developer partners were also invited to be panelists in the event to discuss how their partnership with Huawei aims to provide better services to their consumers. 

GCash President and CEO, Ms. Martha Sazon discussed GCash’s undertakings with Huawei and how their collaborations are helping to improve and provide more digital services to make Filipinos’ everyday lives better. GCash and Huawei aim to launch Scan to Pay, Huawei on GLife, Single Log-in (allows users to use GCash credentials for easy log-in and purchases on websites) and a feature that allows users to accept payments via smartwatches using the new Harmony OS. The partnership between GCash and Huawei aims to provide more digital services that can make Filipinos’ everyday lives better.

Meanwhile, Konsulta MD CEO, Mr. Cholo Tagaysay talked about Konsulta MD and how the tele-medicine company’s partnership with Huawei aims to make healthcare even more accessible. With Huawei’s Harmony OS, Konsulta MD can be accessed through Huawei wearables like the smartwatch and on other Huawei devices so that using the tele-medicine service doesn’t have to be limited to only one device. 

Wish 107.5 also has a partnership with Huawei. Vice President for Marketing of Wish 107.5, Mr. Jay Eusebio talked about Wish 107.5’s partnership with Huawei and their aim to increase the radio station’s reach and make it more accessible to a wider audience. With the Wish 107.5 watch app, users can easily listen to the radio station on their Huawei smartwatches. Huawei’s Harmony OS also plays a role in this partnership as Wish 107.5 also aims to be accessible on other Huawei devices. 

To wrap up the event, Assistant Secretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Atty. Alvin Navarro delivered a speech about how technology has “always been a vital part of our society” and how technology has helped us stay informed and connected during the pandemic. He also briefly discussed the DICT’s previous and upcoming projects in collaboration with Huawei. Huawei and DICT have collaborated on several projects since 2018 – with their partnership only growing stronger since then. 

Atty. Navarro ended his speech by saying that digital technology serves as a “catalyst on a larger scale” to improve the lives of Filipinos, and that we should work together with innovative partners like Huawei to make the world a better place for all and to get us to the future that we desire.