Winners Receive More Than $45,000 in Scholarships and Prizes; Second Contest to Begin in Fall 2003
RESTON, Va. and PLANTATION, Fla.--(COLLEGIATE PRESSWIRE)--Mar 12, 2003--Nextel Communications Inc., (NASDAQ:NXTL) Sun Microsystems, Inc., (NASDAQ: SUNW) and Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) today announced that Michael Yuan, a graduate student from the University of Texas at Austin has won the University Wireless Developer Contest for his iFeedback application that runs on Nextel�s nationwide wireless packet data network. iFeedback is a mobile survey tool that allows professors to send course-related questionnaires for open, real-time communications with students. Yuan received a $20,000 scholarship, along with other prizes.
The second and third place winners are Ramswaroop Somani, a senior from the Georgia Institute of Technology and Ju Long, a business graduate student from the University of Texas at Austin. Somani�s application, the University Positioning System, provides for real-time tracking of people and possessions on campus. It is also a location-based reminder and calendar system that provides directions to and from university buildings. Long developed SmartPhrases, a mobile spell checker and dictionary application that also checks usage of words in phrases. Somani and Long received $10,000 and $5,000 scholarships � respectively � for their winning applications.
�We are delighted to have these leading companies recognize talented students for developing novel applications that can bring tangible educational benefits to society,� said Dean Mary Ann Rankin, College of Natural Sciences, the University of Texas at Austin.
�The three winning entries showcased the best applications based on the Java� 2 Platform, Micro Edition (J2ME�) tailored for the university market and the mobile lifestyle of today�s students and teachers,'' said Chris Hackett, Nextel�s vice president, Education Markets. ''Each of these applications creatively addressed challenges by providing extremely valuable tools and solutions for students, faculty and staff, and educational institutions. This type of innovation from tomorrow�s developers inspires us to introduce a second contest later this year that will help foster the creation of other valuable applications.''
�As the leading provider of mobility solutions for consumers, carriers and enterprises, Sun is delighted to see university students using Java technology to create innovative applications to enhance their mobile learning experience,� said Juan Dewar, Sun�s senior director of the Consumer, Mobility and Strategic Solutions Group. �These winning applications are a testament to Sun�s role in creating a whole new mobile lifestyle, not only for consumers and business users, but also for students in academia worldwide.�
''Java Technology provides developers with the power to create innovative applications that answer the real needs of mobile phone users,'' says Peter Aloumanis, vice president and general manager, U.S. Markets Division, Motorola`s iDEN Subscriber Group. ''As a leader in the J2ME industry, Motorola, is proud to be a sponsor of the of the University Wireless Developer Contest. We believe it is an ideal platform for the developers of tomorrow to showcase new and cutting edge ideas for creating real-life tools that have the potential to be utilized by universities nationwide.''
Judged on the relevance of their applications for the university market, sophistication of the application and the business model, representatives from Nextel, Sun and Motorola selected the first, second and third place winners. The contest was held from September 3 through November 1, 2002 and was Nextel�s, Sun�s and Motorola�s first-ever nationwide �University Wireless Developer Contest.�
Nextel, Sun and Motorola plan to launch a Fall 2003 University Wireless Developer Contest for students at colleges and universities throughout the U.S. The next contest will build on the success of the 2003 University Wireless Developer Contest for students and faculty who develop the best J2ME� applications on Nextel Java� technology-enabled handsets tailored specifically to making university life easier. Contest information for the 2003 Universithttps://ess Developer Contest will be available at http://developer.nextel.com.
As the first nationwide wireless carrier in North America to launch Java-enabled wireless data services, Nextel now has more than 2 million Java� technology-enabled handsets in use in the U.S. 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� -- the incredibly powerful long-range walkie-talkie feature, digital cellular, text and numeric messaging and Nextel Wireless Web 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.
About Nextel Communications
Nextel Communications, a Fortune 300 company based in Reston, Va., is a leading provider of fully-integrated wireless voice and data communications services including Nextel Direct Connect(R)--the long-range digital walkie-talkie feature; high quality digital cellular services; Nextel Online(R) wireless data content and business solutions; and two-way messaging services. Nextel and Nextel Partners, Inc. have built the largest guaranteed all-digital wireless network covering 197 of the top 200 U.S. markets. Nextel`s wireless voice and packet data communications services are available today in areas of the U.S. where approximately 240 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 fohttps://more than 100 countries and on the World Wide Web at http://sun.com.
Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun Logo, Java, J2ME, and The Network Is The Computer are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries.
About Motorola and iDEN
Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) is a global leader in providing integrated communications and embedded electronic solutions. https://n 2001 were $30 billion. For more information, visit http://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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