Wikasa Pivots, Now Aims to Maximise The Potential of Audio On Smart Devices

Wikasa, previously an online education startup, has recently taken a pivot. After previously focusing on curated online learning system ever since it was established in August 2013, the startup now decided to change its focus to audio mobile app. It seems that the JDFI program, which was held in Singapore from March 19, 2014 to July 7, 2014, has contributed heavily to the startup’s decision. Wikasa now think that “Audio Notes on Steroid” sounds like a better idea.

Now, the question is: what does  “Audio Notes on Steroid” even mean?

In response to such question, Rama Manusama, Wikasa’s CEO, explained briefly, “Let's put it this way; after previously focusing on building better camera, consumers now pays attention to audio capability of their smart devices.”

Manusama and the Wikasa team believes that the bottleneck of the content creation workflow actually lies on the recording. This is based on the fact that almost everybody has recorded their voice using their mobile devices.

“The problem of recording is actually in the format of the audio files itself, as users need to transfer their recording files to laptop before sharing them with others. Not to mention the abundant number of audio files, like audio000001 and audio000002 for instance, that don’t have any 'markers' on them,” Manusama explained.

And that’s practically the reason why the app was built. This app enables users to give markers on their audio files, put annotations to different parts of the recordings, and search for the "markers" easily. Another benefit that users would gain is the unlimited storage that Wikasa offers.

“Users don’t have to get through too many steps to transfer those files. They only need to access the cloud service, without having to use any email authentications like Dropbox. Once their devices are connected to wifi, they could directly sync them. This means, each user practically has his own unlimited recording storage,” Manusama added.

Despite the fact that not so many people realised the true potential of audio capability, Manusama strongly believes that the app would have a bright future. “Even though speech is actually the most basic form of communication, smartphone manufacturers has yet to explore its possibilities.”

“Moreover, the future of technology industry lies in mobile devices. eMarketer even predicted that there would be two billion smartphone users by 2015. Even wearables attracts more users these days. That’s why we want to be at the front line, by starting to focus on mobile, and wearables afterward.”

The final app itself is planned to be finished by the end of November, with its beta version would be available a month earlier. Wikasa, which operates in Singapore and Jakarta, is currently under Wikasa Pte Ltd.

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