Windsor recognized in tech world

By Millar Hill

A local app development company is putting Windsor on the tech world map.

Andy Kale, Jakub Koter and Ali Al-Aasm launched Red Piston Inc. five years ago. The company has been growing ever since.

Red Piston has developed hundreds of apps, according to Kale. The company has been featured on the top of app store charts, magazines and newspapers. Kale says the company has worked with Fortune 500 brands such as Lowe’s, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Universal Music Group and Warner Bros. to name a few.

“We’ve done everything from video games, augmented reality experiences, business utilities, and personal trackers,” said Kale. “We’ve really run along the whole spectrum.”

Kale says today’s technology levels out the play field across the board for companies like his compared to others in larger cities.

“I had somebody call me and say ‘but you’re in Windsor, what can you do for me in Windsor?’ well, we can do anything you can do from anywhere. It doesn’t matter. Technology equalizes a lot of things,” said Kale.

Technology can connect people from all around the world. It can also connect two people who are together in the same room. Kale thinks there are both positive and negative features when it comes to cellphones and apps. He says it is changing the dynamics by reducing face-to-face communication with people who are actually in the room.

“I think it has changed everything in some positive and negative ways. You can interact with someone across the world as well as you can with somebody sitting right next to you, which is positive,” said Kale. “But, you tend to be staring at the top of people’s heads because everybody is looking down and focusing on their phones.”

When creating apps, Red Piston tries to focus on the community aspects by bringing people together, whether it is playing games or enjoying social experiences by sharing them on social media.

A person can do many things from their fingertips that range from ordering pizza to cashing a cheque to tracking personal health.   The opportunities for apps are endless. People are turning to apps for convenience and novelty according to Shawn Rumble, program counsellor for withdrawal management at Hotel Dieu Grace Hospital.

“I think the nuance of new is a compelling aspect as well as the convenience,” said Rumble. “A lot of youth are watching their Facebook status and connecting on different apps into the late hours, compromising their sleep and their productivity due to social needs. The need to be a part of that is driving that. There is also the fear of missing out which drives excessive behaviors as well.”

A common complaint Rumble gets from a clients concerned family member is that too much time is being spent on a cellphone or app. He says their socialization skills are decreasing.

“They are beginning to lose their social communication muscles and it is quiet concerning,” he said.

Kale says his company is trying to stay at the edge of technology. He doesn’t know what the future will hold for Red Piston because they haven’t invented it yet. While Red Piston is putting Windsor on the map, Kale says they are also showing younger generations a reason to stay in Windsor.

“Windsor is a great place to raise a family, a great place to live. It has a great cost of living,” said Kale. “I think it does help the community overall because they (younger generation) can say ‘oh well I don’t need to go to Toronto or New York to do something innovative or interesting, I can stay here.’”