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Forum Nokia comes out with contest for developers
By siliconindia
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Saturday, 20 September 2008, 17:40 IST
New Delhi: Exploring innovations in mobile technology, Forum Nokia, the largest online global mobile developer community with 3.8 million registered user base across the globe, is coming out with a global contest - namely 'Calling All Innovators' - for developers to create mobile applications that will help create a better society. Nokia will award up to $ 150,000 in cash and prizes, in addition to helping the winning developers distribute their mobile applications.
There is reason to hope that an Indian could be the winner of the contest as a Business Line report says that Indian developers dominate in number on the Forum Nokia.
Indian users on the Forum have been witnessing a steady growth at a rate of 48 percent annually. According to a Business Line report, there are approximately 1, 40, 000 registered Forum Nokia developers in India - the single largest representation from any country.
Indian developers on the Forum have some interesting applications to their credit including Mobile Autograph from Nexmoo, SMS Scheduler and smart assistant live from Aims Migital and voice reminder from OneView Systems.
Nokia has also launched a localized Web site for Indian developers, which provides support in terms of education and training and generating awareness among relevant target audiences.
Nokia also enables handset users to download applications produced by developers globally. Currently, two million downloads happen in India every month, of which 60-65 per cent of the content is from local developers.
The platform offers developers the opportunity to communicate with experts on the subject and a community of users around mobile technologies and products, using channels like discussion boards, Wikis, blogs, real time chats and podcasts. The platform also provides developers with information on business opportunities in the form of channels that sell mobile applications and content to consumers.
Commenting on the contest, Tom Libretto, Vice-President, Forum Nokia, said "the contest is not just about making mobile applications that could help society; it's about developing mobile applications that will help society. Imagine if an application could help relief workers reallocate resources in real time for disaster-torn areas - how much could that help both those in need as well as the relief workers in the area?"
The contest opens on September 16, and all entries are due by December 15. Finalists will be selected and notified in January 2009.
