Their Firechat is basically Whatsapp without having to use data.
Remember when bluetooth was still an “in-thing”? And almost the only means to connect and share on-the-go?
Now, the way of communications —basically life — is mostly through the internet. And when you’re out, access to the internet is the reason why we are entertained and occupied. When there is no wi-fi connection, we resort to 3G/4G. Data access which used to be somewhat of a privilege—now has become so commonly and widely accessible. Currently, with the relative ease of data accessibility, however, we lament the excessive data usage that sees the extra $20-$100 charged to our phone bills every month.
First-world problems, right? Seeing the problems that technology has created for us, Open Garden is set to reverse the internet model by re-introducing communication and data exchange without the use of the internet. And isn’t this good news to me!
Technology is on its own
In fact, in his article in The Atlantic magazine, Ian Bogost, a contributing editor at The Atlantic, who is also the Ivan Allen College Distinguished Chair in media studies and a professor of interactive computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology has rightly pointed out that technology is now on its own and technology “is becoming a force that surrounds humans—but not necessarily in the service of human ends.”
Instead of improving our lives, it has become a means to dominate the market and introduce “fresh ideas”. Consumers are no longer consumers— consumers are not used as food to lure the big beasts—businesses. Which is why, we believe Open Garden is set to disrupt the tech industry as they back-pedal to the core of human needs and interests and throw it back to tradition and pragmatic use.
Unconnected connectivity
As such, this is why we have faith in Open Garden’s apps. Open Garden’s pioneering creation is Firechat. Firechat is basically Whatsapp without having to use data.
Firechat uses “the radios inside our phones to connect them directly with one another”. Now, that’s definitely not a “fresh” tech idea but a rather dated one that would fulfil the same purpose.
It can travel up to 70 metres from one phone to the other. Does this sound familiar?
With more than 2 devices, messages will bounce from device to device, extending the network boundaries out of the 70m radius.
One can create chatrooms and start discussions seamlessly easily. If you wish to send private messages to more than 1 person, simply select the target audience and Firechat will do the rest for you by creating a group.
Public Chatrooms are available as well. Open Garden clearly illustrates differentials from the 4 social media giants as stated by Firechat clearly on their site. You don’t need to enter your phone number detail and you can use your alternative profiles.
Firechat has been used for many humanitarian crises and events. Natural disasters including floods in Kashmir (April 2015), pro-democracy protests in Taiwan (April 2014), Hong Kong (September 2014) as well as large festivals in India, Canada and the US, including the Burning Man a Summer Solstice Bonfire festival.
Meshkit is Open Garden’s version of Firechat for developers and businesses. It is an enhanced version of Firechat and is made for larger data and information sharing. Meshkit caters to developers to help enhance their engagement with customers even without data connection. Real-time news can be delivered to users for media as well. Governments, NGOs and telecom providers will find that Meshkit s is a useful and accessible mass-blast medium.