- Title: In Ivory Coast, talking smartphone boosts access in 16 local languages
- Date: 24th August 2022
- Summary: GRAND BASSAM, IVORY COAST (RECENT) (Reuters) CONVEYOR BELT CARRYING SMARTPHONES FACTORY WORKER CLOSES SMARTPHONE PACKAGING LID AND PUTS IT IN BOX WITH OTHER PHONES EXTERIOR OF 'OPEN G' SMARTPHONE FACTORY SIGN WITH 'OPEN G' LOGO VARIOUS OF FACTORY WORKERS. ASSEMBLING SMARTPHONES ALAIN CAPO-CHICHI, FOUNDER AND INVENTOR OF 'OPEN G', WALKING THROUGH FACTORY CAPO-CHICHI TAKING PHONE FROM CONVEYOR BELT (SOUNDBITE) (French) ALAIN CAPO-CHICHI, FOUNDER AND INVENTOR OF 'OPEN G', SAYING: "Steve Jobs put out the first smartphone in the world with the promise that it would be intelligent, with the promise that there would be applications that would make life easier for everyone. But in Africa, the problem we have is that we do not have access to written commands, that is to say that writing and reading is not accessible to everyone. What we have tried to do is help our parents who have difficulty using their smartphones, and tell them they should use the smartphone to receive and make calls. But why not make their lives easier by giving priority to commands, since speech is three times faster than writing?" ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST (RECENT) (Reuters) EXTERIOR OF ELECTRONICS STORE 'OPEN G' ADVERTISEMENT VARIOUS OF 'OPEN G' PHONES IN SHOP ON STANDS CUSTOMER SCROLLING THROUGH APP ON 'OPEN G' PHONE CUSTOMER SPEAKING INTO PHONE (In French) "Hello" PHONE RESPONDING (Baoule) "How are you, dear visitor?" (SOUNDBITE) (French) SIRIKI OUATTARA, HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING FOR 'OPEN G', SHOWING APPS ON PHONE WHILE SAYING: "You can also change the language. You have here several languauges, so we will choose Dioula and the system will confirm that we have selected it. Here. we validate, then we execute the actions. I will greet him, Hello, and he will respond in the selected language." / PHONE RESPONDING (Dioula): "Hello, Siriki Ouattara, how are you? How Can I help you?" 'OPEN G' BOXES ON GLASS SHELF STORE EMPLOYEE INSTALLING BATTERY IN PHONE LANCINE TOURE, CUSTOMER, TALKING TO EMPLOYEE TOURE THANKING EMPLOYEE AND PUTTING PHONE IN BOX (SOUNDBITE) (French) LANCINE TOURE, CUSTOMER, SAYING: "I saw the design, and I liked it. Not only that, but everyone as an Ivorian should have one, because it will evolve. But to evolve takes capital, and it is us, the Ivorians, who must take up this initiative, because it is just the beginning." ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST (RECENT) (Reuters) PEOPLE. WALKING DOWN STREET MADELEINE ZOUNDI, ROASTED BANANA TRADER, PLACING BANANAS ON GRILL ZOUNDI HANDING BOX OF BANANAS TO CUSTOMER ZOUNDI SMILING WHILE LISTENING TO PHONE SPEAK DIOULA ZOUNDI SCROLLING THROUGH PHONE ZOUNDI HOLDING 'OPEN G' PHONE / ZOUNDI PEELING BANANA (SOUNDBITE) (Dioula) MADELEINE ZOUNDI, ROASTED BANANA TRADER, SAYING: "There are many advantages in this phone, because it speaks local languages. That's why I say it's good. There are many different types of phones but this one is different because it speaks many local languages. and I like that." ZOUNDI SPEAKING ON PHONE GRAND BASSAM, IVORY COAST (RECENT) (Reuters) (SOUNDBITE) (French) ALAIN CAPO-CHICHI, FOUNDER AND INVENTOR OF 'OPEN G', SAYING: "What we bring now is that we don't need to alphabetize people, we don't need to teach them to read and write. We just need to take them as they are, and insert them in the economic life. So it causes economic development, because from now on I simply speak I send money to someone; I simply speak I manage my economic activity; I simply speak and I can know before I needed to read and write to know. It facilitates life, and for a state like Ivory Coast, we need the involvement of all its sons to be able to manage the country." ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST (RECENT) (Reuters) 'OPEN G' BILLBOARD SHOWING MAN HOLDING PHONE
- Embargoed: 7th September 2022 10:31
- Keywords: business communications emerging markets information language literacy smartphones technology
- Location: GRAND BASSAM AND ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST
- City: GRAND BASSAM AND ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST
- Country: Ivory Coast
- Topics: Africa,Information Technologies / Computer Sciences,Science
- Reuters ID: LVA001976921082022RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: An entrepreneur in Ivory Coast has created the country's first locally-made smartphone, which aims to improve accessibility' with voice commands in local languages for users who can't read or write.
The phone, called "Open G", went on sale last month in the West African country. It can understand commands and respond in 16 of Ivory Coast's approximately 60 spoken languages, including Dioula, Senoufo and Bété.
Founder Alain Capo-Chichi said he was inspired to create the phone after watching his parents, who are illiterate, struggle to use a smartphone.
"In Africa the problem we have... is that reading and writing is not accessible to everyone," he said. "People can use their smartphones much more easily by simply speaking to them." added Capo-Chichi.
Open G's developers say they've already sold several thousand units, after only a few months on the market.
At an electronics shop in the commercial capital Abidjan, customers eagerly tested various Open G models using only the sounds. of their voices.
Lancine Toure was one such customer, who ultimately decided to buy the phone for himself. While praising Open G's language capabilities, he also said its creation should be a cause for national pride.
"Everyone as an Ivorian should have one, because it will evolve. But to evolve takes capital, and it is us, the Ivorians, who must take up this initiative, because it is just the beginning," he said.
The phone is driven by a series of apps, accessed through a similar interface to that of Apple's 'Siri' or Amazon's 'Alexa'. So long as a language is pre-selected, users can order their device to initiate basic functions like sending calls or SMS messages, or even initiate mobile money transfers, by speaking in their local dialects.
Capo-Chichi believes such technology is key to bringing Ivory Coast's under-educated populations into the digital economy, and will ultimately encourage nationwide developmental strides.
"We don't need to alphabetize people, we don't need to teach them to read and write. We just need to take them as they are, and insert them in the economic life," he said.
(Media Coulibaly, Cooper Inveen, Lisa Ntungicimpaye) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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