A new application called Base, debuting here at TechCrunch Disrupt’s Startup Alley in New York, brings smarter mobile notifications to the Android’s homescreen. The idea with Base, which grew out of its creator Widdit’s earlier efforts with a personalized welcome screen dubbed HomeBase, is to make push notifications more relevant to you, based on what you’re doing now (driving, shopping, etc.), while also adapting over time the more you use the service.
Meanwhile, Base notifications have a minimal design, allowing you to zero in on the information you need now with just a glance. And they only display when the device is in your hand, allowing you to save on battery life.
Tel Aviv-based Widdit is actually an older company, founded back in 2007 by Noam Fine (CEO) and Yossi Marouani (CTO). Originally called “SimplyGen,” Widdit has created range of products over the years, starting with recommendation algorithms for web developers, and now offering also a browser extension called HomeTab, the above-mentioned HomeBase, and more.
The company explains that they came up with the idea for Base because they knew app developers were looking for new ways to engage with their audience in a market filled with over 1 million applications, where getting users to re-open apps is more crucial than ever. With HomeBase, the team began to experiment with how to take better advantage of the Android lock screen, and now with Base, they’re taking another step in that direction.
The consumer-facing application, live here on Google Play, showcases two technologies that Widdit is also making available to app developers via SDK integrations: “Brains” and “Looks.”
The former allows the Base app to adjust itself to the user in order to deliver the most relevant information. For example, if you’re at the grocery store, it might show you a reminder to buy milk; or if you’re heading out on the road, it might show you traffic updates; and if you’re waiting for the train, it could show you when it’s arriving. “Brains” also learns from the user’s habits. For instance, if you’re in the middle of a big meeting at work, Base knows to be quiet.
With “Looks,” developers can customize how their notification appears on the phone’s black screen. “Looks” allows app developers to break out from the clutter of Android’s default notification tray, by allowing developers to push personalized messages to users which users can interact with, dismiss, or respond to with just a slide of the finger.
The consumer-facing Base app is free, as Widdit hopes to monetize Base through developer integrations. App developers will be able to use the Widdit SDK for free, which offers limited information and capabilities, while the full version includes all the insights and power of “Brains” and “Looks.”
Widdit is backed by Yossi Vardi and another angel investor, but works on a bootstrap model, where it invests its current income into future developments, the company says.