Nokia to developers: show us your apps

Stephen Withers
Tuesday, 12 January 2010 06:19

Your IT - Mobility

Nokia has set out on a million-dollar hunt for mobile applications aimed at customers on very low incomes.

Given the amount of attention given to the iPhone and its 100,000 apps (or however many there are this week), it's not hard to see why Nokia's working on its own mindshare.

The company has announced its third annual innovation competition that asks developers to come up with applications and services to enhance the real-world use of mobile devices.

This year, Calling All Innovators has four categories for submissions: Eco/being green, Productivity, Life improvement (with a special sub-category of Education, specifically aimed at early literacy), and Entertainment.

The Education subcategory has been included with the cooperation of Sesame Workshop, the producers of Sesame Street. Some developers may be allowed to work with Sesame Street characters.

Judging criteria include the entry's ability "to raise the standard of living of the target customer in an obvious and undeniable manner", and the overall viability of the business proposition or plan (in particular that it warrants a significant investment).

Nokia notes that the "Target customer-base in general has less than a $5 (USD) per day income".

Finalists will get an expenses-paid trip to San Francisco to personally pitch their app to the judging panel, and the overall winner will be offered a $US1 million investment award in the form of a convertible note debt instrument, along with business guidance and assistance from Nokia, PR support, and marketing exposure.

If the winner is a software developer, it will also receive Forum Nokia's top level of support, plus distribution of the application via the OVI Store.

Additional prizes may be offered, and Nokia is also running regional competitions with specific categories and requirements in Latin America and Germany.