An app to warm you in the Siberian winter

It is neither a hot drink nor a shot of vodka - a team of Siberian programmers have suggested their own way of warming you up in the cold, and won a recent 'Hackathon' competition in Kazan. The idea of making a hand-heating app came when programmer Maxim Chavlytko, 23, from Krasnoyarsk 'InnoSoft' company made a mistake while working on another project, which led to his phone dramatically heating up. 

So when they needed an idea for the contest, they decided to a offer a saviour for anyone caught outside with no (or useless) gloves, which has happened to us all. The app called Warm Beams is run on a Smartphone, and turns it into the modern equivalent of a hot water bottle in your hands in the perishing cold. 

Out of 26 teams, the 'InnoSoft' took first place and got Android tablets, special prizes from a venture fund, and the right to be first in line for places at a business-incubator. The app needs further development before it can be tested on the market, and rookie students have been hired to finesse it. 

'We really enjoyed working in a rush. Sometimes we need to work that way, because it helps to keep us in good form,' said team leader Alexander Borisov, 30. His team have earlier made an app for the Krasnoyarsk Economic Forum, which helped participants find information about it, and developed a system for booking taxis. They are now working on a ride-sharing app linking drivers and passengers in real time.