Calling All Developers: Create the Next Big App at the Sprint Hackathon

Sprint, Samsung and WIP to host hackathon event Oct. 23 at the Sprint Open Solutions Conference in San Jose, Calif.

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sprint (NYSE:S), Samsung and the Wireless Industry Partnership (WIP) are challenging developers to turn their app ideas into reality at the Sprint Hackathon during the Open Solutions Conference in San Jose, Calif. The Hackathon will be held Tuesday, Oct. 23, and all developers who register will be given free registration to the Sprint Open Solutions Conference, Oct. 24-25.

“Sprint is excited to host a hackathon event with Samsung and WIP in conjunction with the Open Solutions Conference”

The Sprint Hackathon will feature several categories with cash prizes. The top app will receive special recognition during Sprint CEO Dan Hesse’s keynote address on Oct. 25. The categories for the competition include:

• Best in Show – The top overall app will win great prizes and be recognized during Sprint CEO Dan Hesse's Thursday evening keynote address.
• Best NFC App – Show us what you can do with NFC in any type of app, not just payments.
• Best HTML5/Hybrid App – HTML5 is the next big thing; let’s see what you can do.
• Samsung Categories – Compete to create unique user experiences using Samsung S Pen™ SDK. Demonstrate how to enhance your app to the next level integrating with many S Pen features.
• Best Commerce App – Create apps that integrate with mobile wallets, make mobile payments, or offer the best retail experience.
• Best Use of Mobile Advertising – Looking for apps that most effectively use ads with the best user experience.

“Sprint is excited to host a hackathon event with Samsung and WIP in conjunction with the Open Solutions Conference,” said Kevin McGinnis, vice president-Product, Sprint. “Sprint is committed to exposing capabilities that will help developers create richer apps. By holding this event with our Open Solutions Conference, we are giving developers the opportunity to collaborate and network with experts in the mobile ecosystem. We are looking forward to seeing the creativity that will bring the next big app to market.”

The registration cost is $20. Registration and additional information about the Sprint Hackathon is available at http://sprinthackathon.eventbrite.com.

Sprint Open Solutions Conference

The Sprint Open Solutions Conference will be held Oct. 24-25 at the San Jose, Calif., Convention Center. The conference is a fundamental component of Sprint’s open strategy and a forum for connecting developers and other solution providers with capabilities enabled by Sprint and its partners. The registration cost is $350. Developers can register and find additional information about the Open Solutions Conference at http://developer.sprint.com/OSC2012.

A preliminary agenda for the Open Solutions Conference is now posted on the Sprint Developer website. Key panel discussions and sessions include mobile commerce, mobile advertising, mobile security, cloud services, M2M solutions and a venture capital perspective on the mobile ecosystem.

Throughout the two-day conference, developers, ecosystem partners and executive attendees will get an up-close view into the latest tools and capabilities from Sprint and Sprint’s solution-providing partners. Additional events at the Open Solutions Conference include keynote presentations from various industry leaders, breakout sessions, coding sessions, event sponsor exhibits and business-critical networking opportunities.

About Sprint Developer Program

Sprint offers customers access to thousands of apps and data services and a variety of award-winning smartphones that use Android, iOS, RIM and Microsoft Windows^® platforms. Sprint views the developer community as a forum for creativity and ensuring choice for customers. The company invests in technology and processes that enable developers to have access to important capabilities unique to Sprint’s networks, and Sprint offers access to a breadth of APIs to make apps richer. The Sprint Developer Program was established in 2001, and Sprint views open collaboration with developers as critical to ensuring continued evolution and success of the program.

Visit http://developer.sprint.com to learn more about the Sprint Developer Program and to take advantage of the resources and tools available to developers.

About Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel served more than 56 million customers at the end of the second quarter of 2012 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. The American Customer Satisfaction Index rated Sprint No. 1 among all national carriers in customer satisfaction and most improved, across all 47 industries, during the last four years. Newsweek ranked Sprint No. 3 in its 2011 Green Rankings, listing it as one of the nation’s greenest companies, the highest of any telecommunications company. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.

S Pen is a trademark of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Other company names, product names and marks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners and may be trademarks or registered trademarks.