macnn
07/16/2008, 10:05am, EDT
Wednesday, July 16th
Italian firm lays out $250,000 for iPhone developers
An Italian venture capital firm is offering $250,000 in US funds to potential iPhone developers, according to reports. The company, H-FARM, says the deal is a part of its new Seed Program, meant to regularly boost a technology company every three months. This quarter's competition revolves around iPhone applications, and is asking companies to submit three-page proposals in PDF form, via e-mail.
The competition ends on September 30th, after which the winner will be "financed and incubated" in H-FARM's Italian offices in Treviso, or American ones in Seattle. As far as immediate criteria is concerned, the company is asking developers to "look at the phone and ask yourself which icon you would want to have next to the weather forecast, the exchange rates, or YouTube."
Filed under: iPhone, industry, software, developer
Other story tags: App Store, Italy
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caution
I would advise extreme caution to anyone interested in this type of thing. Read everything carefully in regard to copyright transferrel, and make sure everything is acceptable, clear, and in writing. Also make sure you have filed for copyright and trademark of your ideas before submitting anything.
Not to sound too cynical, but the iPhone has opened the door to new, smaller developers who might not be aware of the way the games that can be played (no pun intenfed) in the intellectual properties world. $250,000 may sound like a lot of money, but it isn't much really in the scope of things. And there are always wolves out there that prey on the unsuspecting.
Re: caution
Does that include the one Apple mentioned in their big to-do launch back at MWSF?
Oh, and I don't think the iPhone has opened any more doors than were already opened by computers and other personal devices out there. Its all the same.
The iPhone has become
a very high-profile device and where it goes whatever is on it will get recognized. As non-iPhone handset users are always ready to point out, WinMo, Symbian, Palm OS phones have had these features for years. Apparently most of the mainstream media is not aware of this fact and that's why they think it's something relatively new and wonderful that exists only on the IPhone.
You'll say the iPhone has had no effect on handset users. Well, then why all of a sudden are so many people beginning to give up their midrange handsets and start moving to smartphones even with exorbitant carrier fees involved.
Okay, I'll just be considered an Apple fanboy that kisses Steve Jobs butt. Yet you can read any number of analyst's articles that say Apple's iPhone will likely erode any of the major smartphone maker's market share. I'm sure I'll be offered a good answer for that. I'm not saying they're right, but they are looking at it that way for some reason.