Players can view the aspiring entrepeneurs’ pitches, and then decide if they are ‘out’, ‘in’ or assess the projects for equity. The aim is to scale the ranks on a live online leaderboard and bcome the sixth dragon on the panel : )
The app was developed to profile Bank of Ireland’s SME portal www.allaboutbusiness.ie and to demonstrate Bank of Ireland’s support for business in Ireland.
This game is a nice forerunner of TV based engagement, and heralds a future where television viewers will no longer be passive. EightyTwenty/4d have put together a nice story board of how they developed this campaign http://www.eightytwenty.ie/project/dragons_den_game

Created by: BusinessDegree.net

Through the Microsoft initiative for Irish app makers: ‘app me up’ wannabe App makers download tutorials and software from the Microsoft website to help them create an app.
They must publish four apps before 22 June 2012 to be in with a chance of becoming an app VIP and winning either a Nokia Lumia 710 or a Nokia Lumia 800 (subject to availability).
The process includes: free tools that help developers develop an app, draw in the detail, and test the app on a PC. Video tutorials in step two range from help for absolute beginners to Windows Phone Mango. There are also design resources, details of events in Ireland and user experience advice and game development. The third step involves registering with the App Hub to submit an app. Only have one app and not four – you won’t get a free phone but you can still enter the app of the month competition. Good luck! See http://www.microsoft.com/ireland/appmeup/.

The app has been shortlisted from over 7,240 app nominations worldwide. Previous winners of the award include Angry Birds and Instagram.
App developer and founder of Greyhorseapps.com Elaine Heney relishes the challenge of making great apps.
“With the recession and European economic challenges, now is a great time to push the boundaries and create innovate products.”
The Tipperary-based firm’s roots were planted in 2004, when Heney set up irishhorsemanship.com to find people who share an interest in good horsemanship.
She set up Greyhorseapps.com in 2010 after a friend asked for permission to use the content from irishhorsemanship.com for an app.
The firm has since published over 30 apps to iOS and Android.
Voting for the Best Ever Awards ends on 24 January.

Called RewardAble, this new platform from Betapond combines social check-ins with near field communication (NFC) and was showcased for the first time at the recent Innovation in Entertainment Showcase in Sony Pictures Hollywood.
RewardAble CEO Declan Kennedy explains that consumers will be able to ‘check in’ on social media and pick up rewards by simply tapping their phone against a poster or scanning a QR code.
The software, which will be available on all smartphones and integrates with NFC technology, will allow customers to discover new ways to get instant rewards whilst also benefiting retailers by bringing customer loyalty to the next level.
NFC authentications means customers will also have the highest level of privacy and protection.

Being chosen as the Irish representative at the competition is a great honour for the NovaUCD spin-off, which launched its service earlier this year. HeyStaks provides a social layer on top of all mainstream search engines, allowing people to search more collaboratively.

The company wants web search to be more social and its apps make this possible for mainstream search engines such as Google and Bing.

Prof Barry Smyth, co-founder of HeyStaks, says winning the national stage of Mobile Clicks is a fantastic opportunity for the firm.
“It’s a strong validation of the HeyStaks product-set and our business opportunity, and it shines a global spotlight on our unique approach to social search,” he says.
Smyth says the company plans to build upon its product-set in the coming year to cover all major browser platforms, social networks and app platforms.

The application Shazam allows users to find out about and listen further to a song they hear but don’t know.
Evan Krauss, executive vice president of advertising sales at Shazam, said last month that many firms are using the technology to “drive deeper engagement with their television ad campaigns”.
“We’re now seeing companies in nearly every industry sector taking advantage of Shazam’s second screen experience to provide consumers with additional product information or give them an easy and fast point-of-interest retail experience at the click button,” he said.

The sports social platform allows sports teams to organise and engage with each other online, through email and text messaging.
Its iPhone app will be launched in July, with an Android app to follow.
The development comes as Teamer has grown to over 800,000 members in Ireland, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. It plans to enter the South African, Canadian and Indian markets this year.

Niall McEvoy, CEO, Teamer.net says: “Because of the complexity of the back-end database and infrastructure that Teamer is built on, we decided to build it ourselves.
“We’re very confident that as result of keeping it in-house we will not only have a premium product but we will have a product that we can develop further ourselves.”

While Teamer is free to use online, the app will be priced modestly, says McEvoy.

The IT multinational is seeking innovative business solutions using cloud computing from around the world. It is particularly interested in solutions combining cloud and mobile platforms.
John McIntyre, senior director, Citrix Startup Accelerator, told Prosperity: “We want people who are creating things you wouldn’t necessarily think of.
“Today’s start-up has to be somewhat enlightened. Not only should it create a good user experience, but it should also have some insights into human behaviour, and if it combines things together how will they change people’s behaviour. That’s how you end up with breakthroughs.”
The programme is targeting a dozen investments this year, with applications accepted until the end of May.
The seed money is invested as convertible debt. Winners will get space at Citrix’s centre in Silicon Valley for up to 18 months, access to its products and technologists, mentoring, networking opportunities and support for the next round of funding.

This is perhaps not surprising considering 97 per cent use these for everyday tasks such as banking and restaurant reservations.
According to the survey results from Citrix Systems Ireland, it seems Ireland has taken to mobile working with gusto. Almost four out of 10 say they are “much more” productive working outside the office. Six out of 10 say they are “just as” productive.
And we’re becoming a tech savvy bunch too. Four out of five of those who use personal devices for work purposes describe themselves as “do it yourself-ers”. This means they take care of their own IT needs rather than relying on the IT department to manage the device or install new apps.