## Inspiration

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We want to create an efficient, seamless method of transferring files from android to PC and Mac.

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## What it does

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Using an NFC chip or Pebble smartwatch, we can **bblip** (transfer/send) the file that was on your phone, to your computer, in one fluid step.

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## How We built it

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Using NFC or Pebble technology, an event is triggered on an android device, this shares the open file to our ownCloud server, which is then pushed to your desktop.

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## Challenges We ran into

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From struggling with sleep deprivation, to having an NFC tag suck the life out of the team, we worked together to provide a solution for every obstacle we encountered.
The list of challenges is much too long to fit into this text area, but a couple of them include database optimization in Amazon Web Service, ridiculous naming schemes from downloaded files, and having our security certificates break as we write this post.

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## Accomplishments that We're proud of

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We are pleased things work at all. We're also proud of our technology, learning how to integrate so many services and platforms together was tough, but we successfully created one unified product.

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## What We learned

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 Our team learned how to integrate ownCloud with Amazon Web Service. We also learned that Visual Basic Script is actually garbage. _ Visual Basic will **never** be a tool that you will need or use. _ Pebble technology is surprisingly easy, not to mention extremely spiffy, to use and integrate into android development.

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## What's next for bblip

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Optimizing transfer speeds and adding more accepted file formats is definitely the current priority, following that we would like to work on a subscription model, in order to better the web service.

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## Inspiration

With the excitement of blockchain and the ever growing concerns regarding privacy, we wanted to disrupt one of the largest technology standards yet: Email. Email accounts are mostly centralized and contain highly valuable data, making one small breach, or corrupt act can serious jeopardize millions of people. The solution, lies with the blockchain. Providing encryption and anonymity, with no chance of anyone but you reading your email.

Our technology is named after Soteria, the goddess of safety and salvation, deliverance, and preservation from harm, which we believe perfectly represents our goals and aspirations with this project.

## What it does

First off, is the blockchain and message protocol. Similar to PGP protocol it offers \_ security \_, and \_ anonymity \_, while also **ensuring that messages can never be lost**. On top of that, we built a messenger application loaded with security features, such as our facial recognition access option. The only way to communicate with others is by sharing your 'address' with each other through a convenient QRCode system. This prevents anyone from obtaining a way to contact you without your **full discretion**, goodbye spam/scam email.

## How we built it

First, we built the block chain with a simple Python Flask API interface. The overall protocol is simple and can be built upon by many applications. Next, and all the remained was making an application to take advantage of the block chain. To do so, we built a React-Native mobile messenger app, with quick testing though Expo. The app features key and address generation, which then can be shared through QR codes so we implemented a scan and be scanned flow for engaging in communications, a fully consensual agreement, so that not anyone can message anyone. We then added an extra layer of security by harnessing Microsoft Azures Face API cognitive services with facial recognition. So every time the user opens the app they must scan their face for access, ensuring only the owner can view his messages, if they so desire.

## Challenges we ran into

Our biggest challenge came from the encryption/decryption process that we had to integrate into our mobile application. Since our platform was react native, running testing instances through Expo, we ran into many specific libraries which were not yet supported by the combination of Expo and React. Learning about cryptography and standard practices also played a major role and challenge as total security is hard to find.

## Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are really proud of our blockchain for its simplicity, while taking on a huge challenge. We also really like all the features we managed to pack into our app. None of us had too much React experience but we think we managed to accomplish a lot given the time. We also all came out as good friends still, which is a big plus when we all really like to be right :)

## What we learned

Some of us learned our appreciation for React Native, while some learned the opposite. On top of that we learned so much about security, and cryptography, and furthered our beliefs in the power of decentralization.

## What's next for The Soteria Network

Once we have our main application built we plan to start working on the tokens and distribution. With a bit more work and adoption we will find ourselves in a very possible position to pursue an ICO. This would then enable us to further develop and enhance our protocol and messaging app. We see lots of potential in our creation and believe privacy and consensual communication is an essential factor in our ever increasingly social networking world.
## Inspiration

In a world where finance is extremely important, everyone needs access to **banking services**. Citizens within **third world countries** are no exception, but they lack the banking technology infrastructure that many of us in first world countries take for granted. Mobile Applications and Web Portals don't work 100% for these people, so we decided to make software that requires nothing more than a **cellular connection to send SMS messages** in order to operate. This resulted in our hack, **UBank**.

## What it does

**UBank** allows users to operate their bank accounts entirely through **text messaging**. Users can deposit money, transfer funds between accounts, transfer accounts to other users, and even purchases shares of stock via SMS. In addition to this text messaging capability, UBank also provides a web portal so that when our users gain access to a steady internet connection or PC, they can view their financial information on a more comprehensive level.

## How I built it

We set up a backend HTTP server in **Node.js** to receive and fulfill requests. **Twilio** with ngrok was used to send and receive the text messages through a webhook on the backend Node.js server and applicant data was stored in firebase. The frontend was primarily built with **HTML, CSS, and Javascript** and HTTP requests were sent to the Node.js backend to receive applicant information and display it on the browser. We utilized Mozilla's speech to text library to incorporate speech commands and chart.js to display client data with intuitive graphs.

## Challenges I ran into

* Some team members were new to Node.js, and therefore working with some of the server coding was a little complicated. However, we were able to leverage the experience of other group members which allowed all of us to learn and figure out everything in the end.
* Using Twilio was a challenge because no team members had previous experience with the technology. We had difficulties making it communicate with our backend Node.js server, but after a few hours of hard work we eventually figured it out.

## Accomplishments that I'm proud of

We are proud of making a **functioning**, **dynamic**, finished product. It feels great to design software that is adaptable and begging for the next steps of development. We're also super proud that we made an attempt at tackling a problem that is having severe negative effects on people all around the world, and we hope that someday our product can make it to those people.

## What I learned

This was our first using **Twillio** so we learned a lot about utilizing that software. Front-end team members also got to learn and practice their **HTML/CSS/JS** skills which were a great experience.

## What's next for UBank

* The next step for UBank probably would be implementing an authentication/anti-fraud system. Being a banking service, it's imperative that our customers' transactions are secure at all times, and we would be unable to launch without such a feature.
* We hope to continue the development of UBank and gain some beta users so that we can test our product and incorporate customer feedback in order to improve our software before making an attempt at launching the service.