AppCircus arrives in São Paulo on January 11 with a special event focused on Microsoft developers. The event will bring together some of the best apps for the Microsoft platform for the thriving Brazilian app scene and will include workshops for developers and app entrepreneurs.

During AppCircus São Paulo Spotlight on Microsoft, the city will bring together some of the developers of the most creative and innovative apps in Brazil. Each participant will pitch their app live to the audience and a jury of experts, before the best app is selected. The winning app will have the opportunity to become one of the 20 finalists to participate at the prestigious Mobile Premier Awards, which will take place in Barcelona on February 25 2013, coinciding with the Mobile World Congress, the world’s most important mobile technology event.

Participating in AppCircus is free and open to any designer, startup or business with a working app ready to present for three minutes live on stage.  To take part in AppCircus São Paulo Spotlight on Microsoft, participants must first register their app online at the AppCircus website before December 28.

Special workshop

Aside from networking with some of Brazil’s leading app experts, attendees can also take part in a special workshop focused on "Windows Phone – Platform Overview & Opportunities". Destined to disrupt the smartphone industry by offering its unique user interface and slick performance across several devices, Windows Phone is continuously attracting new customers in several markets worldwide. Companies (big, small or startups) have already figure out ways to capture new business opportunities via innovative applications running on Windows Phone. On this workshop, the Microsoft team will present an overview of the Windows Phone Platform, including its tools and SDKs as well as cover how companies can increase their revenue and market share while developing apps for Windows Phone. It is also an opportunity for iOS and Android developers get introduced into the Microsoft Windows Phone platform. You cannot miss that opportunity.

Brazil leads the app market in South America

Brazil currently leads the app market for mobile devices in the region thanks to the big growth in smart phones and tablets. According to Carles Ferreiro, CEO at AppCircus, the use of apps by Brazilian consumers is growing spectacularly: “there have been more than 400 apps developed for Windows mobile in Brazil and the scope for further growth is extraordinary thanks to the potential of areas like e-commerce and tourism”. The development of the Windows app ecosystem is a sector with “huge vitality” that offers “great professional and business opportunities for innovation and economic development”, says Carles Ferreiro. “This event gives us the chance to check out the potential of Microsoft Windows as a mobile app development platform and see some of the great ideas coming out of Brazil at the moment”.

Are you ready to be a part of the HTML5 revolution? We're very excited about our new online challenge. We joined with AppsFuel to launch the first HTML5 App Challenge, an online competition designed to find the best apps written in HTML5, the programming language that will power many of tomorrow’s mobile web applications. This challenge is open to all developers, professionals or business startups with a functioning HTML5 app optimised for smart phones or tablets.

The the first deadline for submission of apps is on October 26. Each month a winning app will be chosen voted for via online voting. Winners will get free hosting for their app, as well as design support and global visibility. The overall winning app willparticipate in the prestigious Mobile Premier Awards, to be held in Barcelona in 2013.

HTML5 developers: What are you waiting for?

Register today for the Cairo Transport AppChallenge

App developers: we need you to help us solve Cairo’s transport chaos

20 million people, 14 million cars on the road every day… a growing city on the edge of transport collapse. How can your app help? That’s where our challenge begins!

The World Bank is collaborating with Google Developer Group (GDG) Cairo and AppCircus to launch the Cairo Transport AppChallenge. How can we use mobile technology to improve transport in Cairo, make it less congested and safer for drivers, passengers and users of public transport.

That’s our challenge.

Now it’s up to you, if you are a freelance app developer, app development company or you just have a great idea and a dream to become one of the above, this could be your chance to turn your ideas for great apps into reality.

One of the main aspects of the Cairo Transport AppChallenge is the first hack@home, powered by AppCircus: a hands-on, ongoing project where developers, designers, businesses and creative people, come together to create innovative apps that provide the answers to everyday problems.

Taking part in the challenge will give you the chance to get expert help to build your app from our online mentors, form a team by connecting with like-minded designers, developers and programmers and make a real impact in the daily lives of millions of people.

Get involved! Start taking part now!

How does it work?

• The Cairo Transport AppChallenge is open to all app creators: developers, marketeers or users with ideas.
• The first step is to register for the challenge and start building your team. This is where hack@home will help you to make and manage those contacts.
• Now it’s time to get the briefing, understand the problem and start applying your creativity to find the solution.
• hack@home has begun! Now you’ve got the chance to use our online mentors to make your app a reality.
• If you already have an app that you think fits the bill, you can submit it for consideration before the final deadline.
• Our team of experts, along with the online community, will choose the top 10 transportation apps to participate in our grand final in Cairo on December 15.
• Along with a cash prize, the winners will get the chance to present their app at the Mobile Premier Awards, which coincide with the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in 2013!

Why do we need you?

Cairo is in transformation: at the forefront of the biggest social changes in the region, it’s a city in constant evolution. Cairo has inspired us and helped us to see that when people come together they can actually change things for the better. Now it’s time for us to try and give something back. Lets help Cairo run more smoothly.

Traffic congestion is a serious problem in the Cairo metropolitan area with substantial adverse effects on personal travel time, vehicle operating costs, air quality, public health and business operations.

We think that Mobile technology could provide the answer to some of the biggest challenges faced by Cairo’s commuters:

• Lack of awareness of driving regulations and safety on the road.
• Lack of information about private and public transport in Cairo.
• The need to improve the quality of public transport by integrating new technologies.
• Finding ways to improve security and minimize harassment of women traveling on public transport.
• Improving mobility for people with physical challenges.
• Finding ways to control traffic infractions and identify dangerous driving.

These are just some of the ways mobile technology could improve transportation in Cairo.  Now it’s up to you.

Get involved! Go to Cairo Transport AppChallenge today and start turning your app into a reality.

The Cairo Transport AppChallenge is sponsored by Google and Orange and supported by the World Bank, AppCircus, Google Developer Group (GDG) Cairo, Egyptian Ministry of CIT, TIEC, ITIDA, Egyptian Ministry of Transport, Green Arm, AYB, Arabnet and Wamda.

About hack@home

hack@home has been created with the purpose of asking app creators to come up with ideas for specific challenges to improve our daily lives. Working with NGOs, governmental institutions and businesses, hack@home is an innovative new platform that brings together app creators and app experts and gives them a series of online tools to allow them to collaborate more fluidly. hack@home is all about creating Apps for Life.

About AppCircus

AppCircus is the world’s largest travelling competition for applications. The event serves as a showcase for new app developers to premier their latest creations in front of mobile industry experts, angel investors and other developers. Since it began in 2010 there has been over 100 AppCircus events around the world in over 30 countries, with over 2,500 apps submitted.

About the World Bank

The World Bank is a vital source of financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world. It is a unique partnership to reduce poverty and support development, comprising two institutions managed by 188 member countries: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association(IDA). The IBRD aims to reduce poverty in middle-income and creditworthy poorer countries, while IDA focuses exclusively on the world’s poorest countries. These institutions are part of a larger body known as the World Bank Group.

About the GDG Cairo

GDG Cairo [Google Developer Group - Cairo] is one of the biggest technical communities in Egypt, organizing some interesting conferences, competitions, and many other creative activities. It is a technical user group for people who are interested in Google's developer technology; everything from the Android and App Engine platforms, to product APIs like the YouTube API and the Google Calendar API, to initiatives like OpenSocial. Volunteers, experts in many fields, manage the group, which is always open to accept new volunteers interested in being part of the organizational team.

AppCircus llega el próximo 6 de septiembre a Tuxtla Gutiérrez, en Chiapas, México, donde el sector de las aplicaciones móviles ofrece un importante potencial de crecimiento económico y profesional.

El showcase tendrá lugar  dentro del IX Simposium Internacional de Sistemas Computacionales, promovido por la Academia de Ingeniería en Sistemas Computacionales del Instituto Tecnológico de Tuxtla Gutiérrez.

Los participantes pueden registrar online su app en la página web de AppCircus hasta el día 11 de agosto. ¡Antes hay que inscribirse aquí !

La cita de AppCircus con Chiapas llega en un momento de gran auge de las aplicaciones móviles en México, que lidera la expansión de este sector en Latinoamérica, junto con Brasil.

Según el responsable de Tecnología de AppCircus, el experto en tecnologías de la comunicación mexicano Ernesto Arroyo, “el auge de las aplicaciones en México se debe al importante crecimiento en las ventas de teléfonos inteligentes y de tabletas electrónicas” en el país, lo cual “ha dado un enorme impulso al mercado de las apps”, especialmente las relacionadas con la personalización de los dispositivos móviles.

En opinión de Ernesto Arroyo, “las perspectivas de futuro en este campo son muy grandes, dado que al ocio y al entretenimiento, se añade el gran potencial de sectores como el comercio móvil”.

AppCircus Tuxtla Gutiérrez es un evento gratuito abierto a cualquier desarrollador, estudiante, startup o empresa con un prototipo funcional que quiera mostrar en 3 minutos sobre el escenario su creación.

AppCircus está dirigido a profesionales de la industria móvil y a la comunidad de desarrolladores, con la finalidad de que puedan conocer las oportunidades y tendencias que existen en el sector de las apps, además de poder explorar nuevas ideas y descubrir nuevas soluciones a problemas existentes.