Google Android Developer Challenge not for Italians

You know the news about Android, don't you?
Check the android developers blog

We're really looking forward to seeing all the amazing applications that developers will create on an open mobile phone platform. In fact, you may even want to enter your application into the Android Developer Challenge -- a USD$10 million challenge sponsored by Google to support and recognize developers who build great applications for the Android platform

Nice, I want to participate. Because Italians do it better.

Yes, Italians do it better, and the original way. When there is a competition on innovative products, we are able to cut ourselves out in a sweep. The ADC FAQ page states that:

The Android Developer Challenge is open to individuals, teams of individuals, and business entities. While we seek to make the Challenge open worldwide, we cannot open the Challenge to residents of Cuba, Iran, Syria, North Korea, Sudan, and Myanmar (Burma) because of U.S. laws. In addition, the Challenge is not open to residents of Italy or Quebec because of local restrictions.

Local restrictions for challenges and prizes are mainly bureaucratic:

• Register your prize challenge to three public administrations. You've to fill up a separate form for each one
• You need a notary. Well, in Italy you needed a notary even to sell your bike, recently this procedure has been simplified.
• Just to let you know, prize challenges cannot damage Italian government's monopoly on ability games and gambling.
• Last but not least: you need to give a cautionary 20% of total prizes to Italy's government. It's called "to bail out", it translates "I do not trust you've got that much", doesn't it?
  

More information on this thread

Technorati Tags: cernio, android, google, local restrictions,

Italians do it better. But via e-mail!

I am not talking about the sexual performances of Italians (at least, those self-proclamated latin-lovers that tell tales of great effort and sacrification), but the customer attitudes at calling a call center, help desk, or something that keeps you "holdin'on a sec".

According to this report (ItNews, Italian), people prefer e-mail offline contact when engaging with a potential seller, or when they are asking for support or assistance.

Alternatively, they'll consider the possibility of being recalled in ten minutes, but they are fed up with long queues in the jungle trees of IVRs.

The key point is: if somebody wants to talk with you, it's because he/she wants immediate contact. If you cannot engage him/her instantly, better say "I'm sorry, I'll call you back in a while". And recall him with a smiling tone!

Technorati Tags: cernio, click-to-call, CRM, helpdesk,

iPhone PTT - NikoTalkie

Now iPhone has its VoIP application ready. It's called "nikotalkie" and works like a walkie-talkie or any other PTT (Push To Talk) software.

Now what I am wondering is:

• Is there a plan to make it work on other phones OSes, like Symbian (it makes me think of Nokia E65, for instance)?
• Is there a Utility in walkie talkie feature "as is"? How many people have PTT installed? How many do use it?
  
• Is there some plan to extend the "walkie" function like, uh, ya know, mobile micro-video-blogging?
  
• is it complicated to install the iPhone "installer"? It seems it is not that straight
  

(My source: http://www.voip-info.org/wiki/ )

Technorati Tags: cernio, voip, iphone, nikotalkie, push-to-talk