Share and Connect Without the Internet
YO! is a free mobile app that lets users transmit data peer-to-peer between Android-based smartphones (iOS coming soon). The data – be it any message, video, photo, song, file, or .apk application file – is transmitted along the network’s edge over existing WiFi routers and access points or sent phone-to-phone using on-device wireless technology.
The practical result is that content can now be shared between unconnected users without the need for expensive data plans or internet connectivity, and it can be done much faster.
YO! Explained:
With YO!, users can now share information across a WiFi zone for free, without causing bandwidth congestion. For example, students at a university can now use YO! to send and receive messages, class notes, recorded lectures, and relevant lessons from one side of the campus to the other at faster speeds and without using mobile data plans or being capped by monthly WiFi plan limits.
Once content has been saved or produced locally, they can share it from device to device with those who are sharing the same WiFi network, as found at most schools, hospitals, and public spaces.
Our approach offloads the data from existing networks, leaving the pipes open for critical, Internet-dependent communications. Furthermore, content can be carried on a user’s device between schools and into remote locations and easily transferred between users.
To keep conversations going outside of a hyperlocal zone, we have also built a parallel, scalable, cloud-based messaging platform to transmit data when users are not geographically close. Our routing algorithm chooses this as a second choice in local environments, but uses this if Internet connectivity is required and is available.
Peer-To-Peer App Installation:
To get YO! into as many hands as possible, as quickly as possible, the application has been designed to be transferred peer-to-peer without relying on Internet connectivity. In other words, the entire installation process can occur without a user having a live internet connection. This is extremely important to rural population and others who do not have reliable internet connectivity to download the app.
Language Support:
YO! currently supports English, Spanish, and Bengali. Separate versions of YO! in Chinese Mandarin, Hindi, Brazilian Portuguese, are under development. A multitude of other languages will be deployed throughout 2015.
Company Goal:
Our mission is to connect every person on the planet, whether connected to the internet or off-the-grid entirely. Yep. Every single one of them.
YO! is uniquely suited to developing markets where there is a large and growing concentration of mobile smartphone users for whom Internet connectivity remains a challenge because of both speed and cost considerations. We are building it for their families and friends and for all those who do not have or cannot afford Internet access. We are building it for the unconnected.
With YO! if they have something to share, they can now share it with the people they care about…and that is a precious right that we take for granted in too many countries.
Check out our video showing our vision for YO!: http://goo.gl/SdxgF3