
Press Release
TORONTO—July 1, 2009— The BlackBerry Partners Fund today announced the first four (4) Finalists in the 2009 BlackBerry Developer Challenge. The four Finalists are Fierce Towers (by Nickel Buddy), Astraware Solitare (by Handmark), Expense Manager (by Total Wireless Solutions), and Vision for YouTube (by Metova). Finalists were selected by a panel of independent judges based on the following criteria: compelling product or service; clearly defined value proposition; viable business model; and technical execution.
Each Finalist will receive a prize package that includes one week on the BlackBerry App World Featured Application Carousel; one BlackBerry Developers Conference pass; one BlackBerry smartphone; and, guaranteed participation in the BlackBerry Sweet 16 Demo Event at the 2009 BlackBerry Developers Conference.
Four additional Finalists will be selected and announced at the end of July, August and September respectively. Over the course of the four-month challenge, a total of 16 Finalists will qualify for the BlackBerry Sweet 16 Demo Event. Entries for the BlackBerry Developer Challenge will be accepted until September 25, 2009 at 11:59pm EDT.
Contest Rules and Regulations
Full contest rules and regulations are available online (www.blackberrypartnersfund.com/09contest), along with details on eligibility, judging, key dates and prize packages.About BlackBerry Partners Fund
The BlackBerry Partners Fund™ is designed to deliver superior returns on the compelling investment opportunity in applications, services and supporting infrastructure for the BlackBerry® and other mobile platforms. The Fund's mandate is based on the premise that in the future smartphones will be powerful portable computers for use at home, work, and leisure. The Fund invests in companies developing applications that make smartphones a compelling platform for media, commerce, enterprise, entertainment, and lifestyle applications. The Fund is global in scope and will consider all stages of development. For further information visit: http://www.blackberrypartnersfund.com.
