You can participate if you are in USA or Timbuktoo. There is no geographical, caste, creed or age restriction, and the rules are simple…

[1] There are prizes for current EDUmobile candidates and non-candidates.

[2] One person – One App. Sorry, no multiple App submissions are allowed. So, if you do have more than one App… pick and choose the one you think is better!

[3] If you are a team of more than one person, thats OK. We allow at maximum a team of two. No companies please. This is a contest to encourage and promote indies only.

[4] The App must be YOUR OWN WORK and that belongs to you. If you did a project for someone else – that is NOT allowed to be submitted. It must be YOUR idea and YOUR product.

[5] The App must be fully ready and working properly. If its buggy – we’ll reject it right away. So, please clean it up before you submit it. You have time.

[6] It is not necessary that your App has already been published. Just make sure it works and does what you say it should!

[7] Submit the executables in a zip file, along with a small brief description of the App, along with the Category it could fit into on the App store or already is (if its available).

[8] The App can be free or paid – both are allowed, and preference is NOT given to either. iPad Apps are also allowed.

[9] Deadline for submissions are 31st July 2010. So, hurry up and get your App ready!

[10] There is no preference given for early submissions or early birds. All entries will be treated equally by our panel of judges. So, you have time to polish your App – and we suggest you make good use of it, so you can score higher.

[11] Results of the winners will be announced on our website and by email to all participants on 15th August 2010.

[12] The winner Apps will be showcased on our main site and blog. We will also list all entries on our blog so you can see what other competitors have made, and so that all Apps submitted get the extra exposure and SEO juice to increase their popularity and get the bonus exposure you seek. If you want your App to remain confidential, please notify us while submitting it – and will not list it or showcase it anywhere.

If you win any prize in this contest – you can showcase your winning entry and certificate to potential Clients and Employers… or even boast your achievement on project bidding sites like Elance and RentAcoder!

Contest Prizes – for EDUmobile Candidates

First Prize

+ iPod Touch

+ Letter sent to top executives at Apple Inc. informing them that your App has won the contest, so they will consider placing it high up in the App store listings – giving you that extra boost as soon as you are ready to publish.

+ Free Press Release to all popular Mac and iPhone Review sites (over 100 sites), telling them about your App – if you are already published or when you are ready to publish.

Two Runner Ups

+ iPod Shuffle

+ Free Press Release to all popular Mac and iPhone Review sites (over 100 sites), telling them about your App – if you are already published or when you are ready to publish.

Special Prize for Most Surprising App

+ Letter sent to top executives at Apple Inc. informing them that your App has won the prize, so they will consider placing it high up in the App store listings – giving you that extra boost as soon as you are ready to publish.

+ Free Press Release to all popular Mac and iPhone Review sites (over 100 sites), telling them about your App – if you are already published or when you are ready to publish.

5 Apps That Almost Made It, but with great potential

+ Letter sent to top executives at Apple Inc. informing them that your App has won the prize, so they will consider placing it high up in the App store listings – giving you that extra boost as soon as you are ready to publish.

+ Free Press Release to all popular Mac and iPhone Review sites (over 100 sites), telling them about your App – if you are already published or when you are ready to publish.

Most Promising iPad App

+ Letter sent to top executives at Apple Inc. informing them that your App has won the prize, so they will consider placing it high up in the App store listings – giving you that extra boost as soon as you are ready to publish.

+ Free Press Release to all popular Mac and iPhone Review sites (over 100 sites), telling them about your App – if you are already published or when you are ready to publish.

Publicly Voted Top 3 Apps

+ Your App will be showcased on our website on a special page and users / visitors will be invited to vote for it. You can also invite your friends to vote for your App. You may not use any deceptive ways to self-vote or generate automated votes. You may not pay anyone to vote for you. We can easily detect this and you will be expelled from the contest – should find out.

+ User voted winner will have a Press Release sent to all popular Mac and iPhone Review sites (over 100 sites), telling them about your App – if you are already published or when you are ready to publish.

Contest Prizes for non-candidates

Top 5 App Submissions

+ Letter sent to top executives at Apple Inc. informing them that your App has won the contest, so they will consider placing it high up in the App store listings – giving you that extra boost as soon as you are ready to publish.

+ Free Press Release to all popular Mac and iPhone Review sites (over 100 sites), telling them about your App – if you are already published or when you are ready to publish.

Our Private Panel of Judges Will Use The Following 5 Criteria While Choosing -

1. Uniqueness
2. Fun Factor (if game) and Usefulness  (if application)
3. Graphic Design / UI
4. Performance / Functionality
5. Potential to make money (via paid downloads or advertisements)

Please complete and submit the applcation form below when you are ready. Please compile the code with UDID number = xxxxxxxxxxxxx. Please bookmark this page if you need to come back to it later!

If you have any questions, please ask by posting comments below.

Good luck … and Appy Coding!

Android development is easier to jump on to given the fact that it is Java based platform and that developers do not have to purchase an expensive iPhone or a separate Mac OS and also pay yearly SDK license fees to Apple. The approval process and distribution of Apps via the online Android Market is also more “friendly” than the App Store.

All iPhone developers would find it very profitable for them to learn Android programming so they can easily “port” their Apps over to Android and publish it on the Android Market. They can cash in on a new distribution channel and substantially increase their earnings that are limited to the App store only.

The classes are taught as a combination of various online modules and you get the ability to work on live industry projects, along with an opportunity to be placed in top mobile gaming and mobile application development software companies. A certificate is also offered to all candidates once they complete the course.The Course duration for iPhone developers is estimated to be between 4 to 10 weeks.

“Kick-Start Your iPhone Programming” Webinar Series:

Webinar #1 – on 6^th and 13^th Feb 2010 at 11am EST for 60 minutes.

In this first part of a series of Free online webinars that will follow through in 2010, Sushant Das the Head Tutor at EDUmobile.ORG – will provide you with a road map of what you need to learn in order to be able to write your own iPhone Apps.

Webinar #1 will cover -

How to get started with iPhone SDK

How to migrate from J2ME or Brew to the iPhone

What to know in Objective C

How to use the best features of the phone for your application

How to sell your apps or games in the iPhone Marketplace

An open floor Q&A session to answer any questions you may have, will be held at the end of the Webinar. You may ask any questions you have to the trainers at this time.

Specific Topics That Will Be Covered at Webinar #1

1. Introduction to iPhone Marketplace.
2. Current Trends in the Industry.
3. Understanding the iPhone SDK.
4. Objective C – in a nutshell.
5. Migrating from Traditional Technologies to iPhone.
6. Developing an Application – Idea to a Product.
7. Monetizing your Ideas.
8. Upcoming Technologies on the iPhone.
9. Open Q&A Session

Additional Bonuses For All Attendees -

Bonus #1 – All attendees will receive a free ebook on “Getting Started with iPhone Programming”, at the end of the webinar.

Bonus #2 – All attendees will also be given an on-the-spot 50% discount, should they choose to sign up for the 12 Week Online iPhone Training Program offered by EDUmobile.ORG.

The first Webinar of the “Kick-Start Your iPhone Programming Series” is Free to attend, but is limited to 50 seats on a first-come first-served basis. By registering below you will be guaranteed a secure spot, and you will be contacted by email with further details.

Note: If you register below but miss attending the live Webinar, you may request for a recorded screencast, to be viewed at your convenience – but you will not be qualified to get any of the bonuses.

EDUmobile, the Mobile Training Lab behind the world’s most popular Online One-on-One Interactive iPhone Course with over 150 students in live training, is now offering the course for free to the first 10 early bird students. To avail of the offer, the student must currently be enrolled in any school or college across the globe. Students, simply need to enter the promo code STUDENTOFFER while registering, and they must have a .edu email address and/or provide proof that they are currently attending school or college.

Recently, there has been a sudden spike in demand for iPhone development skills, at a global level. The increased demand replicates the demand for website developers when the Internet quickly became mainstream over 15 years ago. Students who move early and acquire iPhone Development skills, can add significant value to their profile and resume, thereby ensuring higher paying jobs. Alternatively, students in schools and colleges all across the globe may directly publish their own iPhone Apps on the Appstore, and thus open up a revenue stream to earn money directly from Apple Inc, while still in pursuit of their educational goals.

“There have been many successful stories of young students receiving hefty revenue checks from Apple, for their successful iPhone Apps. Our Interactive iPhone Training Program has been very well received by the development community at a global level, and we are getting candidates from all parts of the globe. We felt that we should give back to the student community in some way, and also simultaneously create awareness in the student community that our course can be done on the side, while attending school or college,” said Vishal Lamba, co-founder of EDUmobile. “Publishing an iPhone App could make great pocket money for almost any student. However, if your App idea is unique – you could end up with a big pile of cash! Apple’s wonderful technology and business model has completely changed things. It has leveled the playing field for independent developers versus the big studios – ensuring once again, that quality and not just good marketing wins in the end. Being at the training level, and aware of industry happenings, we keep hearing so many success stories of independent App creators, getting a flood of money within just a few weeks of their app going live on the Appstore. If you’ve ever wanted to get into iPhone App development, now is the right time.”

EDUmobile is offering the course complimentary to the first 10 early bird students, on a first-come first-served basis. To check availability, simply enter the promo-code STUDENTOFFER, while signing up. If there are open slots, it will reflect on the screen and you will have secured your complimentary seat. Students who register late, may still enroll and avail of a 60% discount on the full price of $200, by using the same promo-code. The 60% promotional discount offer for students (that is, $80 fee for the full course) will be taken down after 100 students enroll.

The offer has been introduced to acknowledge that there are many students attending schools and colleges across the globe, who simply cannot afford the high training fees to learn iPhone programming.

# # #

About EDUmobile

EDUmobile is a spin-off independent initiative of Chakra Interactive Pvt Ltd, a company operating in the Wireless Mobile Software Development space for the past 6 years, having worked on wireless projects released by global top tier clients and publishers such as EA Mobile, Hands-on-Mobile, I-Play, Sony Pictures, Disney Mobile and Warner Bros amongst others. EDUmobile provides high quality training in various mobile technologies through Online Video, Interactive one-on-one support, Weekly PDF Manuals and Worksheets and an ongoing Support Forum. The Interactive iPhone Tutorial is delivered over a 12 week interactive training period, and comes with a 100% money back guarantee. The course is crafted to suite the industry need for beginner, intermediate and advanced level developers.

Steve Demeter made a simple puzzle game called Trism, and in 2 months he earned $250,000. Last December the app called iFart became the number one app on the App Store. It stayed on the top and raked in $9200 each day in profit after Apple’s cut. Then, Ethan Nicholas, developer of the now famous iShoot game, earns $21,000 per day selling his iPhone app. Ethan quit his day job to work full time on the iPhone and he did not even know how to write Objective-C code before he made iShoot.

These are just some of the stories that are causing  a lot of buzz, and people have quit their day jobs to cash in on the opportunity.

However, developing for the iPhone is relatively a new field with a shortage of well structured tutorials and one-on-one mentorship and help. EDUmobile.ORG has been involved with online training in the wireless technology programming field and has launched its iPhone Online Course to meet the shortage of information resources and training.

The course is offered on a once a week basis via Online Video, PDF Documents, One-on-One sessions and Weekly Worksheets. There is also an option to access a remote Mac, for those who do not have access to one.

The iPhone course offered at EDUmobile.ORG is crafted to suite the industry need for beginner and intermediate level developers. After the course completion, developers will be able to create software for iPhone and can optionally  distribute their content through EDUmobile.ORG on the online App Store, and immediately start earning. One can also bid to win the large number of growing projects being posted daily on project bidding sites like Elance and RentACoder.