CeBIT: Cracking the CODE_n

CODE_n, an international initiative for fresh IT and Internet ideas, culminates this week in 50 finalists presenting their innovations at the CeBIT technology trade fair in Hannover, Germany.

From a professional translation service for Facebook messages to the first mobile payment system for bars and restaurants using only iPhones: the CODE_n finalists came up with some surprising and innovative solutions for all aspects of our mobile lives.

From over 400 entries, the best 50 innovators have now been invited to present their ideas to industry experts at the CeBIT 2012 ‚ in centrally located Hall 16, which has been specially designed by leading artists. The CODE_n Award will be presented to the winner during the world’s largest technology fair on March 8.

‚We are delighted with the rich variety and quality of the CODE_n entries,‚ says Ulrich Dietz, the competition’s initiator and CEO of GFT Technologies AG.

More than 400 young companies, start-ups, pioneers and avant-garde thinkers from 42 countries took the opportunity to enter their business ideas on the topic ‚Shaping Mobile Life‚ . 50 of them have now been selected to present their apps, services or technical innovations to visitors at the CeBIT 2012. The ideas include a Collaborative Web Service for live customer advice in online shops, and a story-telling tool that links places with stories based on user-generated content.

‚We were both amazed and amused by some of the ideas and it was certainly no easy task to select the top 50,‚ says Dietz in his summary of the initial selection process.

A jury of experts, including Gabriele Fischer (brand eins), Lars Hinrichs (HackFwd), Carsten Knop (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung), Paulus Neef (PQuadra), Jens-Uwe Sauer (Seedmatch), Dr. Joseph Reger (Fujitsu) and Prof. Peter Weibel (ZKM), will draw up a short list of the ten top innovators for the final stage. On the third day of the fair, March 8, the winner of the Eu25,000 CODE_n Award will then be chosen from this short list of candidates.

CODE_n will also feature a radical visual backdrop. Artist Tobias Rehberger and architect Jürgen Mayer H. have blended art and technology to create an Innovation Space in the 3,500 square-meter Hall 16.

The competition’s partners will also be showcasing their products and services. In addition to GFT Technologies AG, the global innovation initiative is being supported by Ernst & Young, Fujitsu Technology Solutions, Deutsche Messe AG, industry association BITKOM and the Karlsruhe-based ZKM.

Further information on CODE_n is available atwww.code-n.org

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