CES launches new mobile apps showdown

The International CES, the world’s largest consumer technology tradeshow, recently announced the launch of a new Mobile Apps Showdown at the 2011 CES.

Nominations for the competition are now open, and mobile application developers can submit entries to be judged by a panel of tech experts. Final round judging will take place live at the 2011 International CES, held January 6-9, 2011, in Las Vegas. The winner will be announced on January 8, 2011.

‚There are more than 185,000 mobile apps available that can help us do everything from finding restaurants to finding your parked car in a crowded shopping mall, said Robin Raskin, founder and President of Living in Digital Times, LLC. ‚This exciting competition will give mobile app developers access to the world’s largest technology platform, the International CES.‚

With Apple claiming over four billion app downloads, and with thousands of new applications available from Android, Blackberry, Nokia, and Palm’s Web OS, the mobile app marketplace is expanding at a rapid pace.

The Mobile Apps Showdown, now in its second year at the International CES, will showcase the best and brightest stars in the industry. To enter the competition, visit www.MobileAppsShowdown.com.

How it Works

Nomination forms are available now. All entrants will be acknowledged with write-ups, screenshots and a ‚Download Now‚ button on the Mobile Apps Showdown website. (See www.mobileappsshowdown.com). From all the entries submitted, twenty-five semi-finalists will be selected by tech veteran Robin Raskin and a team of mobile experts. The online community will also have a chance to vote for their favorites.

The top ten finalists move on to a live demo competition in front of a live and online 2011 International CES audience and a winner will be declared based on an audience applause-o-meter and an online vote.

Winners will be picked from each of five platform categories: Android, Blackberry, iPhone, Nokia, and Palm Web OS. There will be a winner from the online voters as well as from the live audience vote at the Mobile Apps Showdown at 2011 CES.

Early submissions earn early bird savings and enhanced exposure on the Mobile Apps Showdown website, as well as other media opportunities. Enter before July 15, 2010 and the submission fee will be reduced from $1,000 to $800.

The Mobile Apps Showdown is an event by tech veteran Robin Raskin, who also created the extremely popular CES competition, Last Gadget Standing. In addition, Raskin and her company, Living in Digital Times, produce six CES-based TechZones and conference programs that feature technology and lifestyle, including technology for Health, Baby Boomers, Kids, Moms, Higher Education, and Sports and Fitness.

At the 2010 International CES, Clixtr won the live competition, while Gwabbit took home the online prize. Clixtr is a mobile app that turns smartphones into smartcameras. Its users create events, upload mobile photos, and create real-time event photo streams with the users around them. The online winner, Gwabbit, provides automatic email contact management (ECM) solutions for the contact cloud that automatically searches and identifies contacts embedded in emails and adds or updates that information to your information in a single click.

Rules of the competition.

1. You must submit your applications before Nov. 31, 2010.

2. Your application must be available to the public now or delivered by Q2 of 2011.

3. Semi-finalists (25) and finalists (10) are selected from among all entrants by a panel of journalists and experts from the Netshelter Technology Media network.

4. Semi-finalists and finalists will participate in an online vote, which will affect, but not necessarily determine, the winners. (Judges will have the final word and the votes need to be checked for duplicates.)

5. Only finalists – 10 in all – will present at the Mobile Apps Showdown live event at the 2011 Consumer Electronic Show. The winner of the live event will be selected by the live audience.