If you’re a mobile developer and could use an extra $5000, get your entry in soon for the inaugural Mobile Awards. The Mobile Awards will showcase leading mobile achievements through categories including best applications for: Business, Information, News, Utilities, Navigation, Banking/Finance and Games. There are also awards for Innovation in the Mobile Industry, including Best Audience Migration to Mobile Technology, Best Mobile Expanded Service, and Best New Service to the mobile market. In its inaugural year, the Mobile Awards is offering a $5000 cash prize of the Best Mobile Application selected by the chairman of the judging committee. Winners will be announced at the 2011 Mobile Awards Night in Sydney in September.
Monthly Archives: July 2011
StartupSmart calls for Australia’s top young entrepreneurs
StartupSmart is calling for Australia’s best young entrepreneurs to nominate for its inaugural Future Makers list. Nominations are open to business builders aged 25 and under, and are not bound by market sector. For more information, or to nominate, click here before Monday, August 22, 2011.
B&T: Your Tube
The July 22 editon of B&T is out now and carries my cover story on the rise of YouTube as a mainstream advertising medium. With one out of every three Australians using YouTube every month it has become embedded into many of our lives, and with all those eyeballs looking at it, it is not surprising that advertisers want to follow. This feature looks at the advertising options that YouTube offers and how major advertisers such as EA Games, Tourism NT, Qantas, and Lonely Planet, and smaller companies such as Shoes of Prey and ecruising.travel are using it.
Smarter Business Ideas – Escape the Grind
The third edition of Telstra’s Smarter Business Ideas magazine was mailed out recently and contains an article by me looking into ways that small business owners can use technology to make their lives easier.
Tech23 companies announced
SlatteryIT has annunced the line-up for Tech23, Australia’s premier showcase of new and emerging technology-based start-ups. Great to see a number of friends on the list, including Bart Jellena’s ZeroMail, Scott Frew’s iAsset, Rob Manson’s MOB and Tony Surtee’s Hyperlocalizer, and plenty of others. The event is being held in Sydney on August 23, and if you want to register, click here.
What NBN means for video marketing
In May Mio Ristic and the team at Digital Video Vault captured part of my presentation on A Faster Future to ICT Geelong, and also recorded this interview talking about the impact of high-speed broadband on video marketing. Digital Video Vault is one of the many emerging companies that are taking advantage of the opportunities that better broadband is providing to business to get their message out there via video. You can read more about the company at its blog.
$50,000 up for grabs in the IT Invention Test
If you’re an individual or small-to-medium businesses based in Australia and have a project that is an idea, concept or prototype that has generated not more than $150,000 in sales you may be eligible to go into the running for the $50,000 IT Invention Test. Organised by ICT Geelong to provide a pathway for people with IT ideas to commercialise their dreams, last year’s inaugural competition received and overwhelming response. Submissions close at 5:00pm Friday 9th September 2011.
X|Media|Lab & Creativeinnovation – The infinite paths to creative success
During this year’s X|Media|Lab conference day in Sydney I had the pleasure of interviewing a number of the speakers on behalf of Creativeinnovation. The main theme was around the factors that drive creative success, and the speakers gave an incredibly diverse set of opinions regarding the road to success. Much of their thoughts are captured in this showcase video and blog post for Creativeinnovation. Individual interviews with Tim Chang, John Tarnoff, Andy Elwood, Christopher Tanner and Dr Vesna Petresin-Robert will follow. Thanks to the teams at X|Media|Lab and Creativeinnovation for making this happen.
X|Media|Lab to hold Transmedia Masterclass with Geoff Gomez
Last year I had the pleasure of interviewing US-based trans-media producer Geoff Gomez for a podcast for Australian Anthill. As the founder and CEO of Starlight Runner Entertainment Geoff has been blurring the lines between films, comics, toys, games and even them park rides since the 1990s, and you can listen to to his thoughts on the topic by clicking here. Now X|Media|Lab has announced that it will be holding a masterclass with Geoff in Melbourne and Sydney later this month. For more information, click here.
SmartCompany – The tech titans turned angel investors
Over the past decade it’s been really pleasing to see many of the leading lights of Australia’s technology sector plough some of the money they’ve made back into assisting smaller businesses. With Australia’s VC industry having shrunk dramatically over the same period, angel investors and high net worth individuals have plugged some of the gap when it comes to providing cash to worth start-ups. My most recent article for SmartCompany revolved around conversations with four of them, Craig Winkler (former CEO of MYOB), Simon Baker (former REA Group CEO), Pollenizer co-founder Mick Liubinskas and entrepreneur and investor Adrian Vanzyl. Their insights make fascinating reading for anyone considering getting a tech-based venture off the group, and you can check them out by clicking here.