University students and faculty nationwide compete for more than $45,000 in scholarships or grants, wireless handsets, and prizes
RESTON, Va. and PLANTATION, Fla. --(COLLEGIATE PRESSWIRE)--Oct 1, 2002--Nextel Communications Inc., (NASDAQ:NXTL) Sun Microsystems, Inc., (NASDAQ: SUNW) and Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) are offering more than $45,000 in scholarships or grants, wireless handsets and prizes to students who develop the best Java(TM) 2 Platform, Micro Edition (J2ME(TM)) applications tailored specifically to making university life easier. For example, Java applications could include student and faculty directories and the ability to download class test scores on wireless handsets. The first-ever nationwide “University Wireless Developer Contest” runs from September through November 1, 2002. Contestants will be judged on the relevance of the application for the university market, sophistication of the application and the business model.
“Nextel is pleased to announce the ‘University Wireless Developer Contest,’ because it will strengthen the Java developer community as well as afford hundreds of future Java programmers the opportunity to develop new programs that will provide the University market with access to the latest software developments,'' said Chris Hackett, vice president, University Markets for Nextel. ''The applications produced for this contest will reinforce our commitment to providing customers with real wireless solutions that operate on Nextel`s exclusive nationwide, 2.5G packet data network.''
Judges representing Nextel, Sun and Motorola will select first, second and third place winners. The first place winner will receive prizes that include: a $20,000 scholarship or grant in the finalists’ name made out to their university, a free Nextel application certification compliance testing, (a $2,100 value), two Motorola i95cl handsets each with $70 worth of free Nextel service per month good for one year, and a plaque announcing their achievement as “University Wireless Developer Contest Winner of 2002.” Second and third place prizes include $10,000 and $5,000 scholarships or grants, respectively.
''The University Wireless Developer Contest gives students and faculty that are Java developers the opportunity to competitively test their application development skills and bring new, useful applications to university users of Java technology based services,'' said Juan Dewar, director, Software, Sun Microsystems. ''With the Java programming language now the language most used by developers and more than 30 million Java technology enabled phones deployed around the world, J2ME gives developers the most widely deployed platform on which to build innovative new applications and services for mobile handsets. We look forward to seeing the creative solutions that result from this competition.''
“Motorola is proud to offer university students the opportunity to compete in this contest,” said Peter Aloumanis, vice president and general manager, U.S. Markets Division, Motorola’s iDEN(R) Subscriber Group. “By encouraging the development of compelling applications, Motorola, Nextel and Sun are helping to bring more applications to the market.”
As the first nationwide wireless carrier in the U.S. to have launched J2ME™ technology-enabled handsets, Nextel now has more than 2 million Java enabled handsets in use in the United States. Java technology enables developers to write advanced applications that take advantage of the rich user interface of Motorola handsets, persistent memory and ability to run select J2ME™ applications whether inside or outside of network coverage. Java technology-enabled handsets and network-aware capabilities are good examples of a Nextel wireless business solution that simplifies how companies manage their mobile applications over the reliable and secure Nextel nationwide network. Java technology adds another desirable feature to Nextel`s unique four-in-one services, including Direct Connect(TM) -- the incredibly powerful long-range walkie-talkie feature, digital cellular, text and numeric messaging and Nextel Wireless Web(TM) Internet access. By building applications with practical business uses, the contestants demonstrate the power of Java technology on mobile phones and reinforce Nextel’s lead in wireless Java technology.
Contestants must be either full-time undergraduate/graduate students or faculty at an accredited U.S. university, and may participate in the contest by downloading the official rules and entry form at https://developer.nextel.com/. All application submissions for the contest should be for use by university students, alumni, parents, faculty or staff. The contest is open to developers and independent software vendors that can build and support applications that run on the Nextel National Network.
Finalists will be contacted and announced on or about November 18, 2002. Winners will be contacted on or about December 1, 2002, and will be announced on the Nextel, Sun and Motorola developer websites. Prizes will be distributed on or about December 15, 2002.
About Nextel Communications
Nextel Communications, a Fortune 300 company based in Reston, Va., is a leading provider of fully integrated wireless communications services and has built the largest guaranteed all-digital wireless network in the country covering thousands of communities across the United States. Nextel and Nextel Partners, Inc., currently serve 197 of the top 200 U.S. markets. Through recent market launches, Nextel and Nextel Partners service is available today in areas of the U.S. where approximately 239 million people live or work.
About Sun Microsystems
Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision -- ''The Network Is The Computer[tm]'' -- has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ: SUNW) to its position as a leading provider of industrial-strength hardware, software and services that make the Net work. Sun can be found in more than 170 countries and on the World Wide Web at https://sun.com
About Motorola and iDEN
Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) is a global leader in providing integrated communications and embedded electronic solutions. Sales in 2001 were $30 billion. For more information, visit https://www.motorola.com.
iDEN handsets combine the capabilities of a digital wireless phone with “always on” Internet access, text pager, and two-way radio to enable users to instantly communicate with one or hundreds of individuals at the push of a button. For further information on iDEN handsets, visit www.motorola.com/iden.
MOTOROLA and the stylized M Logo are registered in the US Patent & Trademark Office. All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners. (C) Motorola, Inc. 2002.
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