Second Lifers: Alcatel-Lucent wants to pick your brains

Stuart Corner
Wednesday, 24 October 2007 04:45

Business IT - Technology

Alcatel-Lucent is inviting residents of the Second Life social networking and virtual reality site to envision and design the wireless devices and applications they think will be possible in 2017, when mobile networks will support always-on connectivity at gigabit bandwidths.

For the contest, which is open to anyone, Alcatel-Lucent is providing residents with a 'sandbox' area where they can use Second Life capabilities to build their ideas. This sandbox area is equipped with application development tools and simple user interfaces to help contestants bring their ideas for 4G services to life.

"We see Second Life as an ideal tool for exploring the benefits of ultra-high bandwidth networks and helping define the kinds of services and applications that people would find attractive, useful and even indispensable in the years to come," said Jessica Stanley-Yurkovic, vice president, North America Marketing with Alcatel-Lucent. "We've invited the world to use the Second Life platform to design and create device concepts, services and even complete user experiences that will be made possible by the advent of 4G networks. We see this as a great way of laying the groundwork to realise the benefits that truly broadband, always on mobile networks will offer."

Maybe, but if you've got an idea that you believe to be a real winner you'd be daft to submit it. "All entries will...become the property of Alcatel-Lucent." And for your world beating idea: "The first place winner will be awarded 50,000 'Lindens' - credits that can be used to purchase items and services in the Second Life environment."

Contest participants can enter one or several design prototypes for a functional device - gadget, heads up display, wearable communications device, video terminal, etc. Entries can include designs, note cards, videos or device prototypes and must be submitted(by December 1, 2007 to Alcatel-Lucent's "Next Generation Design" submissions display located on the Main Plaza of Alcatel-Lucent's Second Life site.

Entries will be judged by a panel of experts from Alcatel-Lucent and 'Millions of Us', a firm that has partnered with Alcatel-Lucent on the development of its SL site. The first place winner will be awarded 50,000 "Lindens" -- credits that can be used to purchase items and services in the Second Life environment -- and will have the chance to have their design built or displayed on the Alcatel-Lucent SL site. Three runners up will be awarded 20,000 Lindens. Winners will be announced via Blog and Group announcement and displayed in the showcase centre on the Alcatel-Lucent Second Life Island