O2 aims to 'accelerate' NFC technology with contest

Mobile phone giant O2 has announced that tech enthusiasts will take part in an event next month that is designed to explore innovative uses for new Near Field Communication (NFC) technology.

Isobar and O2 have teamed up for 'Isobar Create London', the "UK's first NFC accelerator event" that allows budding developers to compete for the chance to secure support and funding to bring their NFC-enabled ideas to market.

From 8am on March 24 to 8pm on March 25, 100 tech enthusiasts will descend on Shoreditch Studios in London for a 36-hour challenge which will explore creative new uses of NFC mobile technology, which enables contact-less transfers of data between devices.

Over the course of the event, the participants will develop their apps before pitching them to a panel of judges, including representatives of Isobar, O2 and BlackBerry. They will also get to hear a keynote speech from Brendan Marry, the lead NFC engineer at Google Europe.

The winning team will be announced on the Sunday evening, and receive expert advice and "kick-starter" funding to help bring their app to the commercial market.

Support includes access to O2's global development platform BlueVia, along with a spot on an NFC-enabled poster site in central London courtesy of Clear Channel.

NFC technology is considered a key future innovation as it revolutionises the way mobile users make transactions, exchange digital content and connect electronic devices.

"Near Field Communication is an exciting new technology that's going to have a big impact on all our lives," said Dom O'Brien, the head of innovation at Isobar.

"Isobar Create London is an open event for the best developers and designers to come together to accelerate knowledge and understanding of how NFC will impact sporting events and the leisure and retail industries."

O2's head of NFC Neil Rutter added: "We are really excited about the possibilities that contact-less 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."

Interested participants can register now for free at www.isobar.com/createlondon. They will be asked to develop apps across four brand sponsored categories: Retail, Sporting Events, Finance and Leisure & Entertainment.

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