First reported over at PTB, the iManila iPhone App has jumped to #1 spot as the Top Paid iPhone App for about a week now.
“iManila gives you easy access to an online phone “Yellow Pages Directory†for finding shops, businesses, restaurants and bars in the Philippines.†The iManila app was developed by MangoCode, one of the few apps deveoped specifically for the Philippines (and uses DPC’s Luk4.com as source of data).
It is estimated that in order to be on the top spot for paid iPhone Apps, you need at least 10,000 downloads (I have this hunch though the the Top Apps are listed by country of origin of registered users. If so, iManila is the #1 Paid App downloaded in the Philippines).
The iManila app allegedly started out as a free app, then was labeled as a paid app for $0.99. It is now priced at $1.99 in the Apple App Store. It’s possible the developers have already earned several thousands of dollars from iManila alone. If that’s the case, there’s hope that more and more Filipino iPhone developers can make good money out of this.
netmonitor- sorry to hear that your disappointed with iManila. It was not intended to be a map application like google maps. (I just don’t have access to the GPS data for the businesses) It is intended to help provide easy access to the Philippine yellow pages as Google continues to be incomplete for the Philippines. Unfortunately, not all businesses are listed in the Yellow Pages either and possibly this is why it was not finding what you were looking for. If you can send me the searches you tried, I can work with the data provider to understand why it was missing. Sorry again that iManila did not meet your expectations. I can be contacted at support //you know the symbol// mangocode.com
a USELESS APP! i downloaded it and it doesnt seem to give me the info I need. WASTE OF MONEY if i may say so. Not even a map to use. To claim its the top paid app in the Phils is just a worthless effort into marketing it. Dont buy this app!
im just wondering if it is for the world or in the phil. only?
Guys, check this out.
Another pinoy app “The Filipino News” is currently in the Top 20 Paid Apps under News category.
Hindi ba ma-sue sila for copyright dahil sa name? Mayroong iManila of the same name na IT company dito sa Pinas. I used to work there as a tech, and un din ang product name ng services ng company such as prepaid, internet at technical services.
Here’s another Pinoy made web app: Flash Me from PiKitchen.
Nope, i don’t think it’s hard to be successful. Working with integrity – that’s difficult. To be fair with Greg, he did take down the app and he recognized his fault. While his intentions were noble, the method he used was really flawed. EYP owns the data and he should’ve asked for their permission. There are a number of local web publishers out there investing a lot of time, money and effort in maintaining their websites and their work needs to be protected at the least. We’re looking forward to your next app Greg.
If Greg’s IManila app didn’t reach No.1, would all these have happened? It’s hard to be “successful” in the Philippines.