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The Mobile Apps Showdown is heading down the backstretch. With the start of CES only days away, our panel of mobile experts from the NetShelter Technology Media network has selected its ten finalists that will compete in the live portion of Mobile Apps Showdown competition. While the online competition among our 20 fine semifinalists still rages on, only ten mobile apps have earned the right to demo live from the big stage in the Ballroom at the LVCC (Saturday, January 9 at 12:30 in Room N257). The winner will be declared based on audience applause o-meter. Without further ado, we present our ten finalists:
Shazam: What’s the name of that song playing in the bar or on the radio? Music-tagging app Shazam can scratch that itch.
Gwabbit: So slick, so simple. Gwabbit scans incoming BlackBerry emails, finds contacts, and instantly transforms them into contact records within your Outlook address book — all with a single mouse click.
DateCheck: The motto is look up before you hook up. The service is personal background checks sent straight to your phone.
Truphone: iTouch + Truphone = iPhone
BeejiveIM: This app supports just about every instant messaging service out there and keeps you logged into all of them at the same time while letting you hop between chats across multiple services.
TeleNav GPS Navigator: Transform your mobile phone into a walking, talking GPS device. TeleNav includes full-color maps with voice and onscreen turn-by-turn driving or walking directions, plus more than 10 million business listings with ratings and reviews, real-time traffic alerts with one-click rerouting.
SPB Mobile Shell: Give your Windows Mobile phone a facelift. SPB Mobile Shell is a next-generation user interface that boasts 3D animation, Facebook integration, kinetic scrolling, widgets, and multiple usability innovations.
Aha: The first driver-to-driver network, Aha connects drivers to live traffic reports from each other and to relevant information from the Internet. Record and share your own personal traffic reports to help those around you, or listen to a customized traffic channel on the roads you travel.
Clixtr: By creating an instant, location-aware mobile photo-sharing platform, Clixtr enables real-time event browsing by location or popularity. You can follow and contribute to events as they happen around the corner and around the world.
Geodelic: A free application that browses your surroundings, Geodelic lets you swipe through locations on your iPhone or Android phone to quickly find anything from a java joint to a dry cleaner or a cash machine. Over time, the app learns what you like, giving you personalized results.
Meanwhile, the online competition is in full swing. Votes have been pouring in for our 20 semifinalists, and we’ve got ourselves a tight race to determine our people’s choice winner. Perhaps the current leader, ShopSavvy, has benefited from the busy holiday shopping season, but this free barcode scanner application is out in front with more than 19,000 votes. Lurking only 2,500 votes behind in second place is Facade, which bestows a new look upon Windows Mobile phones. And in third place and still within striking distance is Geodelic, a free app that searches your surroundings.
Be sure you get your votes in. Simply head to the Ballot Box and cast your votes for your favorite mobile app or apps. You’ve got 25 votes at your disposal — use them! Voting closes next Friday, January 8, where at CES we’ll announce the people’s choice winner.
Make your vote count on our Ballot Box page!
At the show, all 20 of our semifinalists will demo live from the Mobile Apps Showdown stage in the North Hall at CES 2010 (beginning on January 7). Stop by and see them — the show will be a constant rotation of apps.
The top ten apps will join us at CES 2012 for an action packed event hosted by Jon Hein and Gary Dell'Abate from the Howard Stern Show.
45 Comments for this post:
Congrats to the ten finalists. All of which are truly great apps! The people's choice voting rages on, add your votes here: http://mobileappsshowdown.com/ballot-box/
What happened to all the votes? They seem to have been reset yesterday!
Where is Gravity?
Fix! Just yesterday gravity for symbian was second, over ten thousand votes ahead of fourth place. Explain, now
Boo NO Gravity in the Top 10? Who selected they Top 10 and are the all iphone users?
Where is Gravity? It was and is still in the second place in the Ballotbox! http://mobileappsshowdown.com/ballot-box/
Ppl, these are NOT the user's choice top 10! The online vote is at the ballot-box, Gravity is still #2 there.
cannot believe Gravity does not feature in your list.This has to be one of the best twitter apps out there and is featuring everywhere yet no mention!What do all the experts use? iPhone. Sounds very biased.
Hey, where's Gravity? When I voted yesterday it was a clear 2nd and unless 100,000 votes have been cast since then I find it highly unlikely that it dropped out of the top 10. Give @janole the credit he deserves!
Where is Gravity? the last time I checked the app was in good position for a top 3 finish.
Are you kidding? You wish we vote, we vote and you 'select the finalists', ignoring our votes?
Certainly something fishy going on here with Gravity being left out. Don't brag about 'Letting the people decide' and then just chose your own top 10…..
Are you kidding? You wish we vote, we vote and you 'select the finalists', ignoring our votes?
Are you kidding? You wish we vote, we vote and you 'select the finalists', ignoring our votes?
Are you kidding? You wish we vote, we vote and you 'select the finalists', ignoring our votes? Voting only for buzz building? Although the procedure is described in the how it works section, I doubt that this is the best way to unbiased results.
What happened to Gravity? It was the highest rated app last time I checked (2 days ago or so)
Being #2 in the live voting, with 20 times more votes than e.g. BeejiveIM, I can't believe that Gravity is not selected. What is the criteria for “earning” this right?”While the online competition among our 20 fine semifinalists still rages on, only ten mobile apps have earned the right to demo live from the big stage in the Ballroom at the LVCC”
I hope the experts realise that Gravity has a strong following and has done something on the Symbian platform that most people only expect on the iphone and android OS. For that alone it should have been one of your finalist. In looking at the experts post as what makes a great app I think that Gravity has many of those qualities, sure it a twitter app, but it is a twitter app that saw me conversing much more and making connections with persons I would not normally have made. It is one of the best selling apps in the beleaguered ovi store and it was one of the first apps to figure out a way to smartly integrate twitter's list feature. I am a bit disappointed that it was not chosen especially since this now means it will not get its day in the sun at CES which would have shown so many more people what is possible on the Symbian OS. I hoping now it trounces the competition online.
where's gravity bros
Cant believe Gravity didnt make this list ?
That's a strange idea of voting: We've got 20 candidates, 25 votes (?!?), and then some of the finalists are not even on the candidate list, while at least one of the top-voted apps, Gravity, does not appear?!?Sorry, guys, I don't buy it. I rather stick to good ol' honest 1-man-1-vote, counting all the votes and do what the result said.
Very disappointed not to see Gravity in this list.Seems strange the 'expert' list is at odds with what the actual users think.
Robin, could you perhaps tell us which criteria the experts used to select the ten finalists? The whole competition seems a little intransparent. Why do you have a public online voting anyhow when the “real” choice for the CES event itself is made by a small group of experts? And why have the apps that you mentioned in your post as leading in the online competition apparently “lost” thousands of votes?
Why Gravity is not in the list? that application deserves to be on the list comparing those useless other apps. Gravity is a milestone for symbian applications tbh
Worst voting contest ever! Gravity was #2, and now its gone …SHAME ON YOU!
Gravity was number two in votes yesterday. Please stop obvious cheating!
Ok. Why have people vote then, if the apps was planned to be chosen by the “experts”.
Hellloooooo, GRAVITY!!! No.2 on the total votes' list… rings a bell?
I'm a Gravity fan myself and I would have loved to see it on the list here, it sure deserves it. But the rules are clear, the finalists have been announced while the online vote, for the popularity contest, is still ongoing among the 20 semi-finalists. The energy wasted here should be put into bringing more votes for Gravity.
bah!!! No Gravity!!! What a waste of time. Typical Americans and their iPhone-centric mindset…Peace…
Very good list. Gravity? Who cares about Gravity? Maybe when Gravity stops being a resources intensive ram hog people will vote for it. Until then good luck.Oh, and please Janole, could you ask you friends to stop spamming here? Not very professional is it? Thanks.
I think the list is made my ifans
And another thing your rules say that the “Semi-finalists and finalists will be subject to an online vote, which will affect, but not necessarily determine, the winners.” Now I agree that you make the final determination but Date checker definitely got the edge because of online voting and Gravity was/is number 2 and climbing because of very happy users. Basically you have said that all of us who spent 9.99 for this app don't know what a great app is even though since I bought it I have received excellent support from the creator of the app and have seen him add numerous additions to it “FREE OF CHARGE” as well as allowed me to transfer it to another phone again “FREE OF CHARGE” if that's not a great app, I don't know what is.
mmmhhh…I'm missing gravity in the top10.
Phoenix, most of the persons are not his friends but fans and loyal customers. I personally am from Trinidad in the Caribbean and have never met Janole but I am a big fan of his work and have been impressed by the constant improvements he has been bringing to the app, free of charge. I am sorry if you think we are spamming the comments page but we really wanted for this app to have its day in the sun and CES was the perfect opportunity for the US to see that things can be done on the Symbian platform that is also done on the iphone and Android OS's. Thanks again for your comment Phoenix but we are still going to be loving Gravity.
Holy cow, what an a**ehole…I can run Gravity with lots of other stuff in the background so I don't know where you got this from. And your comment is also misguided because people are *voting* for it, check the live results page.
I am sorry but my experience with gravity was not pleasant. When running in the background it would force other apps to close and then it would shut down. My emails to the devdeloper went unanswered. I want my money back. Also, gravity is way overpriced, there are free alternatives on symbian.
To hell with gravity……full of bugs and ugly UI
To hell with gravity……full of bugs and ugly UI
Sorry you had that bad experience but mine was the total opposite, never had any issues on my e71 or my new e72. Both times I emailed I got a response within minutes and activation within a half an hour and even when I posted questions and gave feedback to janole via twitter I always get a response and if you view his twitter profile you would see that the majority of his twitter updates are responses to questions people have or bugs they report. And the free alternatives just are not robust enough for me as I am a power user and this fits perfectly with my lifestyle. And as I said based on the fact that he is constantly upgrading it and offering free support justifies the price.
Well, I've paid my money for Gravity (and since Jan seems to allow IMEI transfer, I won't need to again), but I *dare* you to propose a free 'alternative' to Gravity on Symbian. Snaptu? Nimbuzz? My sides are splitting! TweetS60? I just squirted milk out my nose!!I'll stop… SorryAnyway, there's been a 10 day free trail available for several months on the Ovi store, more than enough time to decide whether it suits you. Although the only way I can see that it wouldn't is if you don't use Twitter…
Outside the US Symbian/S60 is popular. Gravity (for S60) is a great and innovative app, and a lot of people think so. Was this poll only for the US? If so it would make sense that Gravity had no chance. So why did you put Gravity on the shortlist to start with?
Nice to meet them and I would like to know more about them
Nice to meet them and I would like to know more about them
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