O2 launches NFC app contest

Isobar Create London promising cash and marketing support to developers with cool contactless ideas.

The UK operator up with digital communications agency Isobar to launch the UK competition.

Developers are invited to battle it out in a 36-hour challenge taking place from 8am on Saturday 24th to 8pm Sunday March 25th.

Participants can submit apps for four categories: retail, sporting events, finance and leisure & entertainment.

At the end they will pitch their apps to a panel of judges from the digital and tech world including Isobar, O2 and BlackBerry.

Attendees will also hear from keynote speakers including Brendan Marry - Lead NFC Engineer at Google Europe.

The winning team will receive expert advice and the opportunity for kick-starter funding from O2’s global development platform, BlueVia.

It will also be able to promote their idea at an NFC-enabled poster site in central London courtesy of Clear Channel.

Neil Rutter, head of NFC at O2, said: “We are really excited about the possibilities that contactless offers.

"Through BlueVia, and events such as this, O2 is committed to supporting and enabling developer communities to deliver innovative applications for consumers and businesses using NFC technology, limited only by their imagination.  We look forward to helping bring some of the fresh thinking and new possibilities generated in this event into our customers’ everyday lives.”

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