The deadline is fast approaching for UK mobile developers to get in entries for the Vodafone Mobile Clicks competition that will see a talented idea get €150,000 to produce a new mobile site or service.

This is the first time the compeition has run for the UK, and developers have until Thursday, 14th May 2009 FRIDAY, 22 MAY 2009.

It is an opportunity to show the mobile technology industry that Britain’s got mobile developer talent, and for last year’s winners, it was a financial and professional success. 

“As a judge for this year’s Vodafone Mobile Clicks competition, I’m
very excited at the prospect of seeing what Britain’s talented mobile
internet developers have to offer,” said Helen Keegan, a specialist in
mobile marketing, advertising and media, who heads Beep Marketing and pens the blog Technokitten. “It’s a great opportunity for developers and folks with good ideas for
mobile internet applications to win the cash to deliver and develop
those ideas further. The entry criteria are straightforward and as long
as you’re over 18, resident in the UK or Netherlands and are in a
start-up or are planning to form a start-up with your idea then you
pretty much qualify to enter.”

Winners last year included:

-Nulaz, a location-based
social networking service that let’s people see where their friends are, share locations and view local
information.

-Tipspot an events guide

-Map the Gap, an idea-sharing application for mobile phones.

More information in the press release here.

Mobile industry bloggers are getting the word out about the competition, visit:

AllAboutSymbian.com

AlexKinch.com

MobileMarketingMagazine.co.uk

Vodafone Mobile Clicks is a close cooperation between Mobile Monday Amsterdam, Mobile Monday London, Vodafone NL, Vodafone UK, PICNIC and Trend8.

Glad to see some funding going toward mobile innovation,

-Lisa

A patent filing uncovered by industry blog AppleInsider shows that Apple has plans to develop a series of wireless iTunes ‘kiosks’ or download hubs where users can load content on their iPods before travelling.

The 19-page patent, filed in November 2007, reveals that Apple wants to develop an iTunes Store distribution hub, that could potentially set up shop in airports and train terminals, and would allow wireless downloads of music, films or television programmes for commuters.

The kiosks would be able to detect an iPod in the immediate vicinity, allowing users to download content without wires or cords, even in areas without wireless internet access.

The wireless component would mean that users could purchase content without having incur roaming charges on their devices while waiting for downloads to complete.

Apple said in the patent that the kiosks would be useful for travellers who wish to load their iPods, iPhones or other handheld devices before boarding a flight, ship or train.

The notoriously secretive Apple has not previously mentioned the iTunes kiosks, but it would undoubtedly prove to be a lucrative source of revenue, especially with the right branding and selective location. Hopefully this is one that doesn’t get swept under the Apple rug.

The latest N-vision data highlights 50% of women buy fair trade products compared to 35% of men.  Women are 10% more likely than men to boycott those manufacturers who contribute to pollution.  Women are 5% more likely to consider themselves as ethical shoppers compared to men.   Younger women (under 35) and older women (45-64) are far more likely to disagree or disagree strongly compared to men with the statement ‘Most companies in this country are fair to consumers.’

There has been a change in the nation’s mood over the last 30 years: In 1980, only 12% of women and 15% of men agree with this same statement about fairness.  By 2008, it was over 40% of men and 42% of women.

There is now a sense of injustice about the way women feel companies treat them. A feeling of being cheated by those corporations who have power. A sense that they should be ‘doing their bit’ for the people and their ‘bit’ should be much more significant than it currently is.

I predict women will lead the movement from a ‘me’ society to a ‘we‘ society. Women no longer want a society with naked greed at its heart. They want generosity as its core value and will seek out brands that offer this.

Brands which are seen to lack this moral dimension are loosing out on more than just a sales opportunity: Brands which are known for their morality are more easily forgiven, or at least given the benefit of the doubt in the event of rumors and bad-news. Take the opposite extreme: Brands such as Monsanto which have allowed themselves to be known for doing things which are not entirely ethical are more easily embroiled in yet more whispering campaigns. There’s a huge cost to appearing immoral.

Brands such as Kiva.org (the micro-lending exchange) are leading the way  with a moral contract at the heart of their proposition. Technology brands,with the exception of Google’s “Dont Be Evil”, are trailing way behind with moral propositions.

But why should tech brands care? We are used to buying our tech-products from anonymous sounding foreign brands of whom we know very little about. What could these companies benefit from being seen as ethical? I think there is still a great deal to win in a world of undifferentiated products in commodity markets. You might as well flip a coin when choosing between an Asus and an Acer, but what if the manufacturers could find a way show their differences which appeal to the “slacktivist” sense of moral consumers?

The cynical amongst us will call it green-washing, but the fact remains that people will often choose a higher-priced product if they feel that it is more ethically sound, even people who’d never attended a protest march in their lives. Shopping is a form of passive-activism.

Tech brands must take the advice of Bill Bernach and:

Stop believing in what we sell and start selling what we believe in.”

The fact remains women are still more loyal to companies than men.   Men are approx 10% more likely to agree with the statement ‘I am less loyal to companies that I previously was’. If tech brands want to attract and retain the most loyal sex, they must start with a moral contract and set of values.

This is no longer niche idealism but corporate realism.