SINGAPORE - They spent more than 24 hours - including working through the night - to build on their idea that news content can be personalised for a user with just a simple voice command.
The creative solution went on to snag four technology enthusiasts the top prize of $10,000 at the Smart Living Hackathon held over the weekend (June 23 and 24).
Their creation involves using a person's existing data, such as his interests, to figure out what kind of news to compile and present to him after he speaks a command, such as asking for the day's news.
The team comprised advanced software engineer Mark Lven Tupa Palejaro, 32; full stack developer Choo Yan Sheng, 30; project engineer Alexander McColl, 27; and cyber defence account manager Albert Puah, 28.
Mr Choo said: "When a user says a command, the content received is much more relevant. So he doesn't have to take extra steps to find what he is looking for."
Over two days, 35 teams of four, using the voice-controlled Google Assistant platform, explored how voice technology can transform the way people live.
The event was held at co-working space Level3 at the Mapletree Business City in Pasir Panjang. It was organised by StarHub and OCBC Bank in collaboration with Singapore Press Holdings.
