Frontier contest seeks top mobile applications

With dozens of entries in the Frontier transtasman mobile application competition before the panel of industry judges, it's topical to look at which application took the top prize last year.

Brisbane company Barcode Products was the overall Frontier winner for 2002, a year in which the Aussies had the competition to themselves.

In an entry that showed how mobile technology can be used to develop more environmentally friendly business practices, Barcode Products entered a GPRS-based network (Vodafone) application that allowed its customer, Transpacific Industries, to manage the collection of hazardous waste from restaurants.

Since then the company has gone from strength to strength. In May, the business services company Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu named it one of Australia's 50 fastest-growing technology companies.

Transpacific's drivers used customised software on handheld computers to record details of the waste removal. The details were then sent over the mobile network to headquarters and fed directly into a reporting database, saving paperwork and time and reducing the risk of errors.

As the grand prize winner, Barcode Products won a trip to Sweden to work with Ericsson's data experts and A$2000 ($2235) spending money.

Frontier also recognised two other application developers in the consumer and business areas. Microe won the best business application award and iTouch Australia the best consumer application.

The three category winners won a pair of Sony Ericsson T68i mobile handsets and access to loan terminals, marketing and technical support and venture capital consulting worth $5000. This year's winners will be announced on September 23.

How to enter

Mobile application developers are invited to enter the Frontier transtasman competition run by the Herald and Ericsson.

The competition aims to find the best mobile applications in New Zealand and Australia.

Frontier transtasman mobile application competition