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Backlogz: AI Audio Note Manager

Backlogz is a mobile application developed using React Native and Expo, conceived during the SF Hacks 2025 hackathon. It helps you manage a backlog of topics or ideas and quickly generate listenable AI-powered audio summaries for review.

Features

  • Topic Management: Add, view, and manage your list of topics or ideas within the app.
  • AI-Generated Audio Summaries: Select a topic and Backlogz uses the Google Gemini API to generate a concise, podcast-style script.
  • Text-to-Speech Playback: Listen to the generated summaries directly within the app using the device's native TTS capabilities.
  • Quick Play: Randomly select and play a topic from your backlog for spontaneous review.
  • Intuitive UI: Simple navigation using tabs for managing your backlog and playing summaries.
  • (Planned/Partial): Cloud storage integration (potentially Firebase) and note management associated with topics.

Tech Stack

  • Frontend: React Native, Expo
  • Language: TypeScript
  • Navigation: Expo Router (File-based routing)
  • AI: Google Gemini API
  • Speech: Expo Speech
  • Local Storage: AsyncStorage (for topic list)
  • (Potential): Firebase (for cloud storage/other features)

Problem Statement

Managing and reviewing a growing backlog of ideas, articles, or notes can be overwhelming and time-consuming. It's easy for valuable thoughts to get lost. Backlogz addresses this by transforming static text entries into easily digestible AI-generated audio summaries, making review effortless and passive.

Architecture

Backlogz System Architecture Diagram

Getting Started

Prerequisites

  • Node.js (LTS version recommended)
  • npm or yarn
  • Expo Go app on your mobile device or an Android/iOS simulator setup.
  • Google Gemini API Key: You need an API key from Google AI Studio. Get one here.

Installation & Setup

  1. Clone the repository:

    git clone <your-repository-url>
cd back-logz

  2. Install dependencies:

    npm install
# or
# yarn install

  3. Add your Gemini API Key:

    • Open the file app/(tabs)/index.tsx.
    • Find the line: const GEMINI_API_KEY = 'YOUR_API_KEY_HERE';
    • Replace 'YOUR_API_KEY_HERE' with your actual Google Gemini API key.
    • Note: For production apps, it's strongly recommended to use environment variables (e.g., via a .env file and expo-constants) instead of hardcoding keys directly in the source code.

  4. Start the development server:

    npx expo start

  5. Run the app:

    • Scan the QR code shown in the terminal with the Expo Go app on your device.
    • Or, press a to run on an Android emulator, i for an iOS simulator, or w for web (if configured).

Usage

  1. Add Topics: Navigate to the "My Topics" (or similarly named) tab. Use the interface provided to add the topics or ideas you want to keep track of.
  2. Quick Play: Go to the "Quick Play" tab. Tap the large play button to have the app randomly select a topic from your list, generate an audio summary using Gemini, and play it back using Text-to-Speech.
  3. Stop Playback: While playing, a stop button will appear if you wish to interrupt the audio.

Future Development Roadmap

Short-term (Next Steps)

  • Notes Feature: Implement functionality to add, view, and edit detailed notes associated with each topic.
  • Cloud Storage/Sync: Explore integrating Firebase (or another cloud solution) for backing up topics and potentially enabling cross-device synchronization.
  • Improved Error Handling: Enhance feedback for API errors or speech generation issues.
  • Configuration: Allow users to configure voice/speed for Text-to-Speech.

Medium-term

  • User Accounts: Implement user authentication for personalized backlogs.
  • Topic Organization: Add features like tagging or categorization for topics.
  • Web Interface: Consider a web-based version for managing topics.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details. (Ensure a LICENSE file exists in the repo).

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to fork the repository, make your changes, and submit a Pull Request. For major changes, please open an issue first to discuss what you would like to change.

Acknowledgements

This project was created during SF Hacks 2025.