Sprint Launches 4G App Developer Contest

Samsung Epic 4G

Sprint has issued a challenge to come up with innovative 4G apps via a developers contest announced Wednesday along with partners Wired, Reddit, and Ars Technica. Between now and Nov. 5 submissions will be accepted for the Sprint 4G App Challenge.

Contestants will be judged on four criteria -- creativity, intuitive navigation, functionality, and design. Winners will be chosen in five categories: entertainment, gaming, productivity, social networking, and multimedia. All finalists will have their apps displayed on Dec. 16 at the Wired Store, an interactive shop and gallery in New York, where the winners will be also announced.

Prizes will include $50,000 to the winner in each category, along with an HTC EVO 4G handset with one year of Sprint service, a membership for one year to the Sprint Professional Developer Program, including 250 hours in the Virtual Developer Lab, and an invitation to Wired's VIP party at the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Sprint said the 4G App Challenge is designed to encourage creation of innovative 4G apps. "Developers can take advantage of unique features from the only 4G phones available in the U.S. today... along with incredibly fast 4G data speeds to create apps that increase productivity for businesses and let consumers do even more than they imagined with their mobile phone," said Len Barlik, VP of wireless and wireline services for Sprint, in a statement.

Sprint is the first carrier in the United States to offer 4G wireless service for high-speed web browsing, rapid mobile downloads of large files, and high-quality streaming video. Its 4G devices include the HTC EVO 4G and the newly launched Samsung Epic 4G, which both run on the Android platform.

The carrier will hold its 10th annual developer conference Oct. 26-28 in Santa Clara, Calif., where developers can learn more about the Sprint Application Developer Program.

For additional information and to register for the contest, developers can visit the challenge website.