Muscat, Sultanate of Oman; Microsoft, Omantel and Information Technology Authority (ITA) today announced the names of the nine shortlisted teams that will be competing in Oman’s national finals of ‘Imagine Cup 2015’ late this April.
As the registration doors were closed on March 20, 2015, a total of 29 projects were submitted setting a new record for teams’ participation in Microsoft Imagine Cup Oman since 2012.
A selection committee representing the Imagine Cup strategic partners in Oman reviewed all submitted projects; after thorough deliberation, 3 teams for each of the three categories were qualified to proceed to the national finals and compete for the Oman national title.
The Games category honors the most engaging and entertaining games targeting teens and youth, built on Microsoft platforms; the 3 shortlisted teams are EXtour project by Homyt Team is a mobile phone game that provides users real-time information about different countries and allow them to play in many tourist attractions; it also allows players to chat with other players from different countries; Mlatoo Mdasoo project by Techno Tradition Team is a mobile phone game that aims to revive traditional games, help the new generations appreciate their traditions and introduce these traditional games to players around the globe and Oman Programmers project by Shirk Team aims to sharpen the players’ logical thinking and help them develop their problem solving skills.
The Innovation category honors applications that give consumers inspiration and innovation at their fingertips with Microsoft tools and technology; the 3 shortlisted teams are Bolster project by Bolster Team is an application accompanied by a hardware aiming to provide a healthy product for people who sit for long hours at work; My time project by Omani Team is a mobile phone application that provides users the ability to plan their personal daily/weekly activities and share them with their family and friends and Smart irrigation project by Life Saver Team is a mobile application that allows users to irrigate their gardens at any time and from anywhere.
The World Citizenship category honors the software applications developed on Microsoft platforms with the greatest potential to make a positive impact on humanity; the 3 shortlisted teams are Help Me! Project by Team B is an application where people can find the help they need as fast as they send their SOS message; Read-athon project by kitabi Team is a revolutionary mobile application that allows users to read books online in a smart marathon-like manner and connects them with their family and friends who encourage them – as a group – to read and benefit from useful information and Smart Protector project by Smart Team is a mobile application and a sensor device that detect noise to identify if a child is left behind alone in a car and alert the driver by phone call.
The 3 national champions will represent the Sultanate in the Imagine Cup 2015 Pan Arab Semi-Finals taking place in Manama, Bahrain end of May. The Pan Arab Champions will participate in the competition’s global finals in Seattle – USA later this summer.
