We are happy to announce the finalists of AppCircus São Paulo Spotlight on Microsoft. The world’s biggest travelling apps showcase 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 the workshop Windows Phone – Platform Overview & Opportunities.

SmyFashion: SmyFashion is the new concept in fashion catalogs, where you can meet the best stores in the fashion world, build your looks, view the best rated lookbooks in the comunity, and stay informed with the most influential fashion blogs news.

Series Notifier: Tired of losing your favourite TV series episode? Let your phone tell you when they are coming!

Caça-Palavras: Is the Brazilian version of the traditional American game Boggle.

Movie ShowTime: With the movie showtime application of craftbox you can see movies playing on theaters, buy tickets, read synopsis, save your favorites theaters, filter by day, and see trailer in HD, around the world.

eJournal Pro: Your Journals will be powerful with multimedia, docs, drawings, links, and many other Features no other app will offer you.

AppCircus winner will receive a Nomination for the Mobile Premier Awards in Barcelona on February 25, 2013 and a Nokia Lumia 800. The second and third place will receive a Nokia Lumia 710.

Edited by Shaheera Asante

Name: Łukasz Dzierżak

App: Package Tracking

Age: 24

Lives in: Gliwice, Poland

Passions: Mobile apps development, good books, movies and winter sports

Couldn’t get through the day without: My girlfriend & searching for inspiration for new games and apps

From building interesting shapes with Lego and video tape as a young boy, in Pyskowice, Poland - to building cool apps on the BlackBerry platform; developer Łukasz Dzierżak tells us how his early childhood passion for shapes, has all grown up.

What was your first childhood experience with computers?

I got my first computer, an Amiga 500  when I was 12 years old; I wrote my first applications in basic language. I remember there were no possibilities to save my code (I didn't have a hard drive), so everytime I'd write something, I needed to re-write all the code on paper. Probably, this first experience with coding, showed me what I'd like to do in the future.

Do you have a qualification in Computer Science and Technology or are you a self-taught coder?

I’m a bit of both. My first lines of code I created when I was a young boy, so in that way I’m self-taught, however, institutions gave me the answers to some of code nature questions, I always had. Now I have a Bachelor of Science degree, in Biomedical Engineering from University of Silesia and currently, I'm studying M.Sc. studies in Informatics there also.

Why do you like creating apps for the BlackBerry platform? What is the most exciting aspect for you?

In my experience, the best part of coding for the BlackBerry platform is the versatility of tools and languages with which I can create apps for that platform - Java, Webworks, HTML5 standard, and on playbook there is also the c/c++, adobe air, or android java technologies to choose from.

For me, the coolest and most exiting thing in creating apps for the BlackBerry platform is the developer community and support, and the large base of different type of customers around the world. Firstly, when I have a problem, I know where to find help;  and I know that I will find many developers that will try to help me without any hesitation; that’s not the same with other platforms. Secondly, the knowledge I acquire to create an application that will suit so many different types of people in the world, is a great challenge; and as coders we need great challenges in our lives to evolve.

BlackBerry has been getting a lot of negative press these days, as a BlackBerry developer what would you say to critics of its platform?

I think that this question can't be fully answered, in my opinion only as an BB developer. It should be answered as both a BB developer and a consumer that uses smartphones. Yes, RIM and the BlackBerry brand has got a lot of negative press these days.

In my view, RIM has made some decisions that should have been made differently, of course the BlackBerry platform could be slightly different than it is now. However, does it mean that the actual state of RIM and BlackBerry is fatal? No, of course not. We’ve got the best support for their line of devices - you don't forget about them just a few months after their launch.

They (BlackBerrry), are commiting big effords to support their developers, not only in good times, but also when they have troubles. And most importantly, they (BlackBerry) always show developers the way they are evolving the BlackBerry platform ahead of the game, so we as developers, can prepare ourself and our ideas for the right time.

Are you planning to code on the new BlackBerry 10 Platform? What projects are you working on now?

Probably all current BlackBerry developers are planning to code something new and astonishing on the coming BlackBerry 10 platform.  What developers  need to remember is to adapt our current applications to this new environment. Our customers who use applications will want to use the same applications which they were using on the OS5/6/7 platforms. Beside that main fact, I'm currenty working on some new applications which will be ready for the big BlackBlackberry 10 platform release.  So stay in touch

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Łukasz will participate to the AppCircus at BlackBerry 10 Jam, an app competition powered by AppCircus that will take place during the BlackBerry 10 Jam conference on May 1 - 3rd, in Orlando, Florida USA. There's still three days left to register your app to this competition and get a the chance to win one of three $25,000 prize packages. Do it here!

Congratulations to the winner of the AppCircus Spotlight at  BlackBerry DevCon® that took place yesterday in Amsterdam. There was a great selection of apps presenting, so the decision for the jury was though.

The winner is:

Here's the jury to judge the apps to pitch at the AppCircus Spotlight on BlackBerry apps during the BlackBerry DevCon® conference in Amsterdam on on February 7, 2012:

Alec Saunders, Vice President, Developer Relations and Ecosystem Development, QNX Software Systems Limited.

As vice president of developer relations at QNX, Alec is responsible for winning the hearts and minds of mobile developers, and for building an ecosystem of software applications for BlackBerry OS handhelds, the BlackBerry Playbook tablet, and future RIM products built upon the QNX operating system. Prior to joining QNX, Alec co-founded Iotum, an award-winning communications startup; served as vice president of marketing at Versatel Networks; and headed up the marketing efforts for several key initiatives at Microsoft, including the launch of Internet Explorer in 1995.

Alec was an early adopter of social media as a branding, awareness, and SEO strategy. His award-winning blog (2002-present) is recognized on most of the Top 10/Top 100 lists for telecommunications and VoIP blogs.

Nils Rouwendal, Manager Consumer Internet Services, Vodafone.

Nils Rouwendal works at Vodafone since '99. In various roles he's been at the center of Vodafone's innovation having introduced mobile advertising and Vodafone value added internet services and apps. In his current role as Manager Consumer Internet Services he's close to the market and organizes Vodafone Mobile Clicks. He has seen and helped grow many new Mobile start-up services.

Klaas Speller, COO of Appsterdam.

Building the best place in the world to be and become an App Maker.

Kevin Michaluk is the Founder of CrackBerry.com

Kevin Michaluk is the Founder of CrackBerry.com and Fearless Leader of Mobile Nations, which operates other leading mobile platform dedicated sites including Android Central (Andriod), TiPb (iOS), PreCentral (webOS) and WPCentral (Windows Phone).

Since launching CrackBerry.com in 2007, it has grown to become the largest independent BlackBerry-dedicated website. In addition to passionate editorial content, CrackBerry is known for its huge community of  members, its popular CrackBerry App and Accessory stores and passionate podcast. It's all lead by CrackBerry Kevin, who is without a doubt BlackBerry Fanboy #1.

Andy Bovingdon, VP Product Marketing at Bango

Andy leads the Bango product proposition and strategy. He is the interface between Bango products and markets – from requirements and roadmaps to position and promotion.

Bango is a leading supplier of mobile billing and analytics to leading app stores, developers and brands. The Bango payment platform enables operator billing within BlackBerry App World and in-app purchases.

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The event format will be the same as any AppCircus, with the spotlight of the stage setup for BlackBerry apps only. The winner at the event will be chosen by the jury, following a 3 minute ‘pitch’ and 2 minute Question and Answer session on stage at BlackBerry DevCon Europe®.

Prizes:

The finalists all get a free BlackBerry smartphone and a complimentary pass to BlackBerry DevCon Europe; the winner receives an application marketing package from RIM -Research In Motion®-, which includes:

·         Two weeks of promotion within BlackBerry App World™
·         Consultation with a leading application marketing company on ways to market your app using social, email and other marketing tactics

Register at http://www.blackberrydevcon.com/europe

On February 7-8, 2012, the BlackBerry DevCon® in Amsterdam will be hosting an AppCircus Spotlight on BlackBerry apps.

The event format will be the same as any AppCircus, with the spotlight of the stage setup for BlackBerry apps only. The winner at the event will be chosen by a jury comprising of RIM -Research In Motion®- specialists and Industry experts, following a 3 minute ‘pitch’ and 2 minute Question and Answer session on stage at BlackBerry DevCon Europe®.

The challenge is open to all developers. The contestants should profile their BlackBerry application on appcircus.com and include a link to download. The application must be on BlackBerry App World™.

Prizes:

The finalists (to be announced at the end of January) will get a free BlackBerry smartphone and a complimentary pass to BlackBerry DevCon Europe; the winner will be chosen by our jury of industry specialists and BlackBerry experts on the night of the 7th February and receive an application marketing package from RIM -Research In Motion®-, which includes:

·         Two weeks of promotion within BlackBerry App World™
·         Consultation with a leading application marketing company on ways to market your app using social, email and other marketing tactics

All delegates (regardless of whether they enter AppCircus or not) will receive a BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet!

The BlackBerry DevCon in Amsterdam will be the place for the BlackBerry developer community in Europe to come together to understand how to work with the latest innovations and breakthroughs for the BlackBerry® platform such as BlackBerry® 7, the new BBM™ Social Platform, BlackBerry® Tablet OS, Adobe® AIR®, Adobe® Flash®, BlackBerry® WebWorks™, and more.

Speakers include Emeric Florence, Joe Lambert, Laurent Hasson, Marius Gundersen, Bruce Lawson from Opera, Chris Heilmann from Mozilla, Andrew Betts from Assanka and the web legend, Grant Skinner.

Register at http://www.blackberrydevcon.com/europe using this code: DSTEN9 before the 18th Jan to get half price off the early bird rate (making your delegate pass 125€)