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We have seen some important development in the apps department in recent years in Bangladesh. Here are some important apps that were launched in 2021.
Chorki
Chorki started its journey as an over the top (OTT) media service in July 2021. It has become one of the most popular streaming sites for local content in a very short time.
It has already produced widely popular TV series like ‘Unoloukik’ and ‘Jaago Bahey,’ and movies like ‘Networker Baire’ and ‘Munshigiri’ in a span of 5 months and has managed to capture the imagination of a wide range of viewers.
Chorki’s primary goal is to produce Bangla content, although some dubbed Turkish and Iranian shows are also available for streaming. Chorki is currently owned by Transcom Group.
Nikhoj
There are few instances that are more distressing than the news of a child being missing. Sometimes, we fail to come up with any viable solution to tackle this sort of matter.
Nikhoj app was launched with a view to tackling this problem with the help of technology, combining facial recognition technology and local data to help find missing children through the internet.
One can post a picture of his/her missing child on the app with other details, and anyone who comes across a missing child can post photos of that child on the app.
The app matches the missing person’s data from both sources. Nikhoj aims to bring the law enforcement agencies and NGOs on the same platform. This is an initiative of the tech startup ‘ThirdEye Social Technology BD.’
Bachao
Rape and sexual assaults are amongst the most heinous crimes that are on the rise and stats show a grim picture. Launched on October 2021, Bachao app tries to address this problem by providing P2P (person-to-person) connection between the potential victim and his/her nearby contacts or local volunteers.
This app has a feature called ‘Rape Alert’ button which, once pressed, sends an alert to the emergency contacts and stops only after the user presses the ‘safe now’ command.
This app also notifies the local police station with GPS information if ‘Rape Alert’ doesn’t go off after 20 minutes. It has its own helpline as well.
Bachao has gained substantial attention after its launch and the developers are trying to incorporate features to make it more user-friendly to rural people.
Boithok
Boithok is a web-based video conferencing application launched by the Bangladesh government’s ICT department to reduce the over-reliability on international apps like Google Meet or Zoom, which have certain barriers in their free versions.
Boithok is free for all and it incorporates some very important features like in-app recording and sharing, messaging and can accommodate up to 60 participants in a meeting.
One does not have to install any app for the desktop version and any sort of meeting can be arranged via browser only, although one would have to install the app if he/she wishes to use it through his/her smartphone. The app is expected to fully roll out in mid-2022 with a paid version.
Shopway
Shopway is a new Bangladeshi food delivery service that includes food, groceries, and other items. They are still exclusively serving in the Bashundhara residential area and Mirpur DOHS.
Even though they began in a small part of the city, they plan to quickly spread throughout Dhaka.
What makes Shopway stand out is its effort to provide flexibility to its customers. One can have his delivery in his/her time of liking, the payment is cash on delivery and the delivery charge is also lower than that of the rest of the competition.