Announcing the Winners of the Ribbit Killer App Challenge!
posted by denis at March 31st, 2009
Thank you to everyone who participated in the Ribbit Killer App Challenge.
The choice was tough, as many apps pushed the envelope of integrating Ribbit’s voice, telephony and messaging API. Overall, we looked for apps that achieved innovative interactions with Flash — and integrated Ribbit’s features to make significant impact on the way we communicate.
And the winners are:
Media Advertising & Entertainment : $15,000
Ribbit Killer App Challenge “Best in Show” Winner : $15,000
Lucid Viewer – Developer, Jason Villmer, Naples, Italy [villmer]
Lucid’s immersion technology coupled with Ribbit’s capabilities is the next step in terms of creating new interactive experiences. Adding a voice and communications layer completes the bridge to the real world that is missing in other virtual reality experiences. The landscape for new business and artistic applications is almost endless.
Social Networking & Communications : $15,000
Save a Life – Developer — Romin K. Irani, Mumbai, India [rominirani]
This socially-conscious application really brings to light the use of voice and telephony as an enabler to address real-world communication challenges; in this case as it relates to finding blood donors. This serves as a informative example to institutions that currently perform similar tasks and how they can drive workflow enhancements by communications enabling healthcare processes.
Business & Productivity : $15,000
Sugared Frog – Developer — Sena Gbeckor-Kove, Amsterdam, The Netherlands [senagbe]
Continuing in the vein of Ribbit’s award-winning Ribbit for Salesforce application, Sugared Frog demonstrates the tremendous market potential for communications enabling business processes. The return on investment from a CRM perspective is especially compelling in the current economic environment.
Carrier, Network or ISP Integration : $15,000
SimplePhone – Developer — Joseph Farrar, Las Vegas, NV [joedeveloper]
This app integrates the Ribbit platform and Broadsoft’s Broadworks API and is skinned and deployed on SimpleSignal It can function as a stand-alone Flash phone and can also be linked with Broadworks XSP accounts to access Broadworks user profile feature set. For example, the user has set his DND (Do-Not-Disturb) notification on his Broadsoft account which is supported on the Ribbit Flash Phone.
It also demonstrates a federated developer ecosystem model — marrying Ribbit’s open platform with the Broadworks API — which, in turn, opens up Broadsoft’s customer base (including a number of the world’s largest telecom carriers) to the Ribbit Developer Community.
Wildcard : $15,000
CHYAA – Developer — David H. Bello, Bogota, Columbia [dhbellol]
Voice as an interface is an incredibly exciting prospect with a multitude of potential applications. The ease and familiarity of using a phone and your voice combined with the usefulness of remotely controlling home functions highlights a broad category of applications that are innovative yet easy to use.
Congratulations to all of the winners! We’ll take great pride seeing these apps deployed around the world.
On a final contest note, there were some very close votes and we are planning to contact several submitters directly in the coming weeks to discuss other Ribbit opportunities on the horizon. And, if you are planning on monetizing your application, please contact us as partneropps@ribbit.com.
We will putting all submitted apps here on the blog in the next day or two as well.
Posted in News & Announcements | 1 Comment »
Ribbit Announces Killer App Challenge Winners!
posted by Ribbit Developer Platform Blog at March 31st, 2009
We launched the Killer App Challenge on November 16, while the Ribbit team was manning a huge booth at Adobe MAX 2008 in San Francisco. I took the stage that day and presented Ribbit functionality and new demo apps to a packed room of extremely enthused Flash and Flex developers looking to get a sense of what rich communications services the platform was all about. At the end of our session, I announced details of the contest and saw the excitement, desire and inspiration glow in the eyes of my audience.
After 4 months, we know very well which apps are the best of the contest! Before we announce the winners of each category, and the best overall app, here are some interesting facts about the contest:
1. Over 450 developers registered for the contest.
2. There were 129 apps submitted.
3. Developers represented over 30 countries.
4. 4 of the 5 winning developers live outside the US.
5. 2 of the 5 winning apps also one prizes at the checkpoint 3 stage.
6. Including all checkpoint winning apps, 15 apps won a share of the prize money.
7. The average time to review all apps at each submitted checkpoint was 2 hours.
--------
Each developer of the winning category takes home $15,000 USD and the grand prize winner receives another $15,000. Big stakes on the line for sure. And now, the winners...
Best Business/Productivity App:
Sugared Frog – integrates Ribbit with SugarCRM to integrate voice into the SugarCRM workflow. With Sugared Frog, salespeople can dictate notes and memos using their mobile phones and have them automatically flow into SugarCRM and their email inboxes. They can store and organize voicemail as email in SugarCRM, with messages mapped to leads, contacts, and in-progress deals. And all voice messages are delivered as SMS or email so salespeople can respond or forward immediately without dialing into voicemail. To view the demo, please go to http://cartman.amsterdam.imkon.com:81 and use the Sugar login ‘jim’ with the password ‘jim’.
Best Social Networking/Communications App:
Save a Life – creates contact-on-demand access to an entire social networking community. With Save a Life, a community member with an urgent need to reach the entire membership or a segment of the community by phone can eliminate the need to look up phone numbers. Mashing up Ribbit, Yahoo Maps, and Google Calendar, Save a Life can be used for such applications as an emergency donation campaign or an emergency dispatch service. For information on Save a Life, please visit http://savealife.googlecode.com/files/SaveALife-2.air
Best Media/Entertainment App:
Lucid Viewer - authoring tool designed to empower artists and entrepreneurs with the ability to explore and create immersive experiences, and creating a new level of engagement between consumers and businesses. Lucid Viewer is royalty free and requires only a one-time license fee. For more information, please visit http://www.lucid.it/phone/.
Best Carrier/Network/ISP Integration:
SimplePhone – desktop-based Adobe Air phone application that allows callers to place voice calls using a computer microphone. It integrates with the Broadsoft Xtended platform and in partnership with SimpleSignal to configure various services. You may get a closer look at SimplePhone by visiting http://www.joedeveloper.net/ribbit/simplesignal/JoeDeveloperSimpleSignal.html.
Best Breakthough Concept (Wildcard):
Control Your Home, Anywhere, Anytime (‘CYHAA’) – Currently still a prototype, Control Your Home, Anywhere, Anytime, will allow users to “phone home” to access and control thermostats, appliances, security systems and more through voice commands. It will create a foundation for other voice-controlled applications for both consumers and enterprises. For a video demonstration of CYHAA, please visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOzkxfX5GSk.
And the overall grand prize winner...
Lucid Viewer!!!!
This application really blew the judges away on all levels.
Congratulations to all winners. You blew us away with your innovation, creativity and ideas. Most of all, you've showed us and the world what amazing things can be done with Ribbit's rich communications platform for Flash and Flex.
I also want to say something for the developers of the 114 other apps that did not win. The decisions at each checkpoint and ultimately at the final review were extremely difficult. Your skill and imagination really came through in the diversity of great applications we saw. You all really made this contest special. We hope to engage many of you separately and see your project become a successful and valuable application on our platform.
Lastly, a very special thank you to our celebrity judges. The interest, enthusiasm and patience demonstrated by Adobe's Lee Brimelow, Daniel Dura and Matt Chotin really benefited the contestants. It was very impressive to hear their constructive comments as we reviewed the apps at each checkpoint. These guys really care about developers and the community, and it was an honor to share with them the fruits of this contest and our collective (Flash and Ribbit) platforms.
No related posts.
Posted in Syndicated Content | Comments OffSome great new stuff.
posted by Ribbit Developer Platform Blog at March 25th, 2009
Some of the Ribbit Team went to South By Southwest last week to spread the good word on how a utility should provide its services to an ever increasingly ROI-savvy world. We had great conversations on what the face of telephone service looks like. I had never been to SxSW before, and had no idea what to expect. It was amazing. Never have I been around such a huge group of people who care so much about interaction. So here is my quick recap: My close friends at OrdinaryKids were nominated for an interactive award. Ribbit took home the award for the web innovation section in the Microsoft Bizspark Accelerator Contest, which is a great validation for all the hard work those of us that have been here have done, and will no doubt add to the enthusiasm of those of us that are new at Ribbit. Chuck Freedman, Ryan Stewart, Adam Flader, Kevin and I gave a great talk on why voice as a data medium is important. We reached out to hundreds of developers, designers, UI/UX practitioners and all around good folks in the Mashery Lounge. The Lounge was also equipped with free coffee. Chuck started a place for people to discuss the Microphone object ( I will let him blog about that 
) and we kicked of our labs.ribbit.com site, both places will be a hub of cutting edge ideas and features of the ribbit platform. I wanted to extend a big thank you to everyone that has participated in our Killer App Challenge. You all have pushed the medium and created some great work. Stay Tuned!
No related posts.
Posted in Syndicated Content | Comments OffGetting Closer….
posted by denis at March 24th, 2009
I was on a call today with the Ribbit team as we tried to focus in on the most likely finalists for the Grand Prizes in this Killer App Challenge.
It is bittersweet, because there are so many great applications but there can only be five winners. In each category, there are multiple submissions competing for the grand prize, and in most cases, any one of them could be a winner. But it’s the team’s difficult job now to name the best of the best, and who knows - maybe they’ll announce some plans to continue this effort after the conclusion of the Killer App Challenge.
Let me just say that from TopCoder’s point of view, this has been a wildly successful competition, and I want to congratulate everyone who participated. Having screened and personally used every single one of these almost 90 applications, I can once again confirm that the talent and creativity in the TopCoder community is second to none.
I was going to say “you’re all winners in my book!” - but it’s starting to get sappy 
Stay tuned, the big announcement is coming soon!
denis
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »It’s All Over!!
posted by denis at March 12th, 2009
It’s all over!
The final submission deadline of the $100,000 Killer App Challenge arrived today at 3:00 PM ET.
We finished this event with:
111 Total Passing Submissions and 83 Unique Applications
Checkpoint 1: 35 Applications Submitted
Checkpoint 2: 15 Submissions / 10 New Applications
Checkpoint 3: 25 Submissions / 19 New Applications
Final Phase: 36 Submissions / 19 New Applications
Now is time for the Ribbit judging team to review the submissions and make their choice for the five ‘Best in Category’ prizes and the ‘Best in Show’ bonus prize for a total of $30,000!
Categories:
$15,000 : Media, Advertising and Entertainment :
$15,000 : Social Networking and Communication :
$15,000 : Business and Productivity :
$15,000 : Carrier and Network Integration :
$15,000 : Wildcard :
$15,000 : “Best in Show” :
Congratulations to all of our participants so far, this has been one of the most successful challenges TopCoder has hosted yet, and the judges have a lot of work to do to try to select five winners from so many amazing and innovative applications.
The final review process is likely to take a week or so, and we hope to announce our winners on or about March 26th.
Best of luck to all, and thank you again for your participation in the $100,000 Ribbit Killer App Challenge!
Posted in News & Announcements | No Comments »Reminder: Killer App Challenge ends today at noon EST / 3pm PST
posted by Ribbit Developer Platform Blog at March 12th, 2009
It's hard to believe, but after 4 months, today is the last day to submit your Killer App Challenge entry and be considered for the $30,000 grand prize!
Make sure you get your submission in today, March 12, 2009 by noon EST / 3pm PST.
Follow the instructions here to make your final submission.
All applications that were submitted to the contest throughout it's duration (so far just over 100) will be reviewed.
If you've updated your app, be sure to resubmit it so we have the latest files, URL and details on what you've done to improve your submission.
Review and voting on apps will start this weekend.
Good luck to all and we're so excited to see what you've done!
No related posts.
Posted in Syndicated Content | Comments OffKiller App Challenge home stretch, 72 hrs to go
posted by Ribbit Developer Platform Blog at March 10th, 2009
This Thursday, March 12, marks the end point of our 4 month old contest.
There are hundreds of developers across the globe putting the finishing touches on their applications.
They've been following the checkpoint winners and, after hours/weeks/months of sharpening their skills, are confident they have what it takes to best even the most impressive apps they've seen our judges acknowledge each checkpoint.
And you know what... they're absolutely right. The contest was designed to be progressive. The checkpoints gave each contestant a chance to show what a winner could be. Each checkpoint winner so far has helped set the pace and expectations for the next round.
Now the final submission date is upon us. It's your idea, your ability, your skill set up against the rest of the field. If you were waiting to catch wind in your sails, now is the time. A lot can be done in 72 hours. Now is your chance to put your Ribbit application over the top.
$33,000, the total possible amount a developer could win, is a pretty significant chunk of change. But that's only where the prize begins. At Ribbit, since the contest began, we've had amazing discussions about how significantly we'll promote the winning application and developer. The momentum from winning a contest like this can vault a developer into a truly elite status. Not to mention the marketing that will be put behind your app as YOU are set to launch it into a revenue generating machine.
The judging panel is ready to see what you bring to us. Will it be your app in the headlines? Will it be your name blogged and twittered about across the web? It's really not up to us. It's totally up to you.
No related posts.
Posted in Syndicated Content | Comments OffInteract with Ribbit at SxSw 2009
posted by Ribbit Developer Platform Blog at March 3rd, 2009
Ribbit will be at SxSw, Austin, TX for the first time this year, from March 13th thru the 17th. Since Adobe MAX, this is will be our biggest conference presence and it comes at a perfect time. Our Killer App Challenge and deeply involved discussions with the world's top Digital and Interactive agencies has revealed interest in the Ribbit API has never been higher and more involved.
Here's how you can interact with Ribbit leading up to and during the week of SxSw:
1. Finalize and submit your entry for the $100K Killer App Challenge. Check out the latest front runners (Checkpoint 3 winners) and put your skills to the test. You could still walk away with $30,000 or more in prize money!
2. Check out Mashery's Circus Mashimus contest at http://www.circusmashimus.com/ and find out how you can participate and win great prizes. Ribbit is a sponsor along with Best Buy, Billboard and The NY Times.
3. Attend our SxSw session, "What does Awesome sound like?" where we will show the latest engaging and inspiring applications built on the Ribbit platform. http://sxsw.com/interactive/talks/schedule?action=show&id=IAP0901402
There are a lot more surprises to come. Stay tuned!
No related posts.
Posted in Syndicated Content | Comments OffCongratulations to our Checkpoint 3 Winners!
posted by denis at March 2nd, 2009
We’re in the homestretch now, with just over a week to go until the conclusion of the Ribbit Killer App Challenge. On March 12th the contest will end, and the judging team will decide on who will win the five $15,000 Best in Category prizes, and the $15,000 Best in Show Grand Prize.
One TopCoder member is going to win $30,000, will it be a new submitter, or one of today’s checkpoint winners?
Congratulations to rominirani, merhl, sah2ed, wkozi and villmer - each of whom has won a $1000 checkpoint prize. Three of these were brand new submissions, and two were updated and enhanced apps that had won at earlier checkpoints.
Check out all the winning apps below, and the check out the Killer App homepage for more information on this exciting competition!
Read the rest of this entry »
Ribbit T-Shirt to All New Submitters by Checkpoint 3!
posted by denis at February 13th, 2009
As we mentioned, checkpoint 3 is coming in 10 days and there’s $5000 on the line, and if you haven’t yet submitted, it’s not too late. While the front runners here certainly have a head start, any flash/flex Killer App submitted before the Checkpoint 3 deadline will be eligible to win. Then we head into the final stretch when we’ll be awarding five $15,000 Best in Category prizes plus the $15,000 Best in Show Grand Prize. One TopCoder member is going to win $30,000!
To sweeten the pot, we’re giving away a Ribbit T-Shirt to any new participant who submits before February 23rd.
Good Luck!
