Create For Millions Consumer & Developer Competition Highlights App Consumption on Nokia Mobile Phones

Nokia’s Series 40 mobile phones bring the Web –and now apps – to the Next Billion

Espoo Finland, June 28, 2011 – Nokia announced today “Create for Millions” a global competition that brings consumers and developers together to create applications for Nokia’s Series 40 mobile phones. Create for Millions also provides developers an opportunity to bring Java and web apps to millions of consumers worldwide and win their share of cash and prizes valued at one million Euros. Nokia’s Series 40 mobile phones play a key role in Nokia’s strategy to bring the Web to the next billion, particularly in emerging markets where a consumer’s first web experience is often through the mobile phone. As the largest mobile platform in the world by volume, more than half a billion Nokia Series 40 mobile phones are in consumer’s hands today.

 From Idea to Creation – Create for Millions for Consumers

Nokia’s Create for Millions challenges consumers to submit their best ideas for the applications they’d like to see on Nokia Series 40 mobile phones. Authors of the winning entries may see their ideas come to life in person at Nokia World later this year and can meet the developers who created them. In addition to a free expenses-paid trip to Nokia World, winning consumer’s can play with their new app on the latest Nokia Series 40 phone given during Nokia World. 

Consumers are encouraged to submit ideas in one of three categories: health & education; social networking & location; and games & infotainment. Additionally, consumers can vote on entries and comment or collaborate on ideas already submitted. 

 Developer contest offers cash and prizes worth one million Euros

Nokia’s Series 40 phones have experienced more than 35 percent growth in download volumes in the past two months making up about a quarter of the total downloads from Nokia’s Ovi Store. Nokia’s Create for Millions enhances this growing opportunity with a competition featuring a prize pool of cash and prizes worth one million Euros.

In this competition, developers are invited to submit Java and web apps for Nokia Series 40 phones in four categories:

·         In the Know - News and locally relevant information apps

·         Fun & Games - Games and entertainment apps 

·         Emotional Closeness - Social networking apps 

·         Access to Knowledge – Life improvement apps, for example education or health   

For each of the four contest categories listed above, there will be 10 cash prizes, with a top prize of 50,000 Euros in each category. Top apps in each category win a variety of non-cash prizes such as user experience reviews and app marketing assistance.   In addition, special prizes will be awarded to apps that showcase the best touch feature in an app, the best location-aware app and the best overall Series 40 web app.

 Regional versions of this global developer competition with additional prizes will be announced soon.

“With Nokia’s newest Series 40 dual-SIM mobile phones such as the recently announced Nokia C2-03 equipped with Nokia Browser, consumers are enjoying third party web applications with a fast, rich user experience and significantly lower data costs”, said Marco Argenti, senior vice president, Developer Experience, Nokia. “This competition connects ideas generated by consumers with the creativity and skills from developers, aiming to create great, locally relevant applications together.” 

Consumers can learn more and enter the app idea challenge by visiting http://www.nokia.com/create4millions. The consumer app idea challenge is part of Nokia’s IdeasProject, an online community for everybody from all around the world to brainstorm. IdeasProject enables the two-way exchange of ideas between consumers and developers around innovation powered by Nokia.  Entries in the app idea challenge will be accepted until. September 20, 2011.

For developers, development tools, terms and conditions and detailed information on the judging, prizes and how to enter are available from the Nokia Developer website http://developer.nokia.com/create4millions. Entry deadline is September 20, 2011.

SHUGA SEASON 2: Shuga Returns To Kenya

Shuga the local HIV and AIDS drama series Season two will be on your screens shortly ! This was announced at a Media Event yesterday 21 June 2011 at the Hilton Hotel.Below is the Press release. 

You can catch a glimpse of the event on this slideshow

Created with flickr slideshow from softsea.

 
Nairobi, 21 June 2011: MTV Networks Africa, The Staying Alive Foundation, PEPFAR and the Partnership for an HIV-Free Generation (HFG) are to renew their ongoing partnership to produce the second series of hard-hitting sex-and-relationships, HIV and AIDS drama, Shuga, in Kenya. The initiative, funded extensively by the U.S. Government through PEPFAR, will work closely with the Government of Kenya to ensure the programme fits within Kenya’s existing HIV prevention strategy.

Series two, subtitled “Love, Sex, Money”, and associated digital, events and marketing activity will be supported by HFG Global and HFG’s Kenya office through their brand,

The new series will be expanded from three to six episodes and develop the complex emotional storylines first explored in Shuga.   Principle photography for the series goes into production in Nairobi in August 2011 and will premier on Valentine’s Day 2012 (14 February) and broadcast around.

The predominantly Kenyan cast for Shuga: Love, Sex, Money will be announced in July 2011.  The series will introduce new characters and storylines while additionally endeavouring to motivate and realize specific changes in sexual behaviours.  Among the issues likely to be explored in Shuga: Love, Sex, Money are HIV testing, stigma, condom use, gender inequity and the role of multiple concurrent partnerships in driving the HIV epidemic. 

First aired in Kenya in November 2009 on MTV Base (DStv Channel 322) and terrestrial stations Citizen TV, KTN, NTV and KBC Channel One, Shuga reached viewers in 48 countries in sub-Saharan Africa and more than 70 TV stations worldwide.  It continues to be widely viewed in countries such as Zambia, South Africa and Jamaica, among others, together with a facilitator’s guide for peer educators to engage young people in open discussions and to motivate behaviour change. 

The global success of Shuga as a vehicle for HIV and AIDS messaging for youth consumption was undeniable. In May 2010, Shuga won a prestigious Gold award at the World Media Festival in Hamburg, Germany in the “Public Relations: Health” category, for its vivid and uncompromising focus on love, emotions and sexual behaviour amongst Kenyan youth.

“Shuga had a profound impact on the attitudes of Kenyan youth,” commented Lydia Murimi, Country Director, HFG Kenya. “Research conducted by Johns Hopkins University/Centre for Communications Programs reported increased intentions for HIV testing, decreased intentions for multiple sex partners, improved attitudes towards people living with HIV and AIDS and increased usage of accessible health and social services among the youth. We hope to be able to replicate that with the sequel as well as introduce new elements that will emerge from our youth studies.”

Georgia Arnold, Senior Vice President, Executive Director, Staying Alive Foundation commented, “Shuga showed the world that drama and public health messages can work together to effect genuine attitudinal change. Shuga: Love, Sex, Money will build on this foundation to generate real behavioural change in sexual health while also entertaining and engaging youth audiences.” 

Alex Okosi, Senior Vice President & Managing Director, MTV Networks Africa said: “We have been overwhelmed by the positive reception that Shuga has received in Africa and around the world.  This has been an incredible award-wining campaign for us that has proven to be changing young people’s attitudes towards HIV and AIDS. We are excited about the opportunity to continue the series with the objective of reaching more and more people.” 

The first series of Shuga was filmed in Kenya in August-September 2009.  Starring a young cast of upcoming Kenyan actors and actresses, Shuga told a bitter-sweet tale of love, loss, sex, heartbreak and relationships, set in the clubs, bars, campuses and hangouts of contemporary Nairobi. With a raw and uncut view on the lives of sexually active young Kenyans, Shuga spot lit the risks associated with unprotected sex and the party-hard lifestyles of urban Kenyan youth, told through the interlinked tales of characters Ayira (Lupita Nyongo), Ty (Pepe Haze), Felix (Tumisho Masha), Violet (Sharon Olago), Skola (David Omwange), Sindi (Valerie Kimani), Leo (Nicholas Mutuma), Kennedy (Antony Mwangi) and Virginia (Eva Kanyang'onda).  

For more information about Shuga: Love, Sex, Money log onto www.mtvshuga.com or   www.g-pange.com.

Cisco Expo 2011 Kenya

Cisco Africa will be holding  a premier  IT event   for IT, networking and communications professionals on 28 and 29 June 2011 at Kenyatta International Conference Centre(KICC) Nairobi, Kenya.
The international event which is being held for the first time in Nairobi will operate under the theme: "Collaboration and Virtualisation Beyond Borders".

The highly engaging and educative event will feature top Cisco Executives and leading authorities in the IT and Communication Sector  including but not limited to:

• Dr Bitange Ndemo ,Kenya's intuitive Permanent Secretary at the  Ministry of Information and Communications, 
• Dan Smoot, Vice President -Cisco Capital World Wide Sales
• Pim Versteeg Vice President of Cisco’s Africa Levant region in Emerging Markets
• Sylvia Mulinge : General Manager Enterprise Business Unit Safaricom  
• Tony Shakib: Cisco Vice President Service Provider Group for  Emerging Markets

 Here is a link to a YouTube Video showing Shahab Meshki, General Manager for Cisco in East Africa, announcing the Cisco Expo Kenya Conference!

The welcome statement by the P.S Dr Bitange Ndemo is quite telling as to what to expect, he states:

During the two-day event, delegates will have the opportunity to build knowledge and skills through a wide range of visionary keynote sessions by top Cisco executives, as well as technical and business breakout sessions that will bring enhanced value to their business providing insight into how to stay competitive in the current economic climate. Alongside the conference, is the Cisco Expo exhibition and showcase area, which is also an interactive learning environment where Cisco and their partners showcase and demonstrate their latest technologies. 

 If you are interested in attending this event ,registration is now open at this Link

Don't forget there is a Facebook Poll on the event which you can take and share with your colleagues. Surprises are in store, actually an I-pad is in store for a fortunate winner.

You can also follow on Twitter @CiscoAfica  for live tweets on the event on Twitter, the handle will be #CE11KE


Why not engage the Worlds leading networking and architecture solution provider and educator? See you there !