BEER-SHEVA, Israel, May 25 – Three teams of students from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev were the top finalists in the second annual "Israeli Mobile Challenge 2011," sponsored by Google's Israel R&D Center.
The winning application was "Mobile Party," developed by students from BGU's Department of Communications Systems Engineering (CSE). The application enables users to simulcast synchronized music to people nearby with WiFi in an ad-hoc fashion, without requiring any cellular or access-point infrastructure.
"Think about a bus crowded with teenagers all listening to the same Lady Gaga song on their smart phones, following the same beat and you get the picture," they explained in their presentation.
The Challenge sought out the best Android-based applications developed by students from all Israeli universities. Twenty-six Israeli university teams began the challenge four months ago. Six of the best six applications selected by a professional committee from academia and industry made it to the final event, which was held at BGU.
The finalists presented their apps, which included social networking and location-based applications, interactive video and musical instruments and productivity applications. The winning applications were selected at the finals event by a tribunal led by Prof. Yossi Matias, head of Google's Israel R&D Center.
BGU students also grabbed the first runner-up spot for "Piano Reality," developed by Amit Ishai and Liran Gannon, also students from CSE. "Piano Reality" allows the user to sketch a piano keyboard on paper, set the phone camera and play as if the paper were a real piano.
The second runner-up team comprised students from both BGU and Tel Aviv University. Its application, "Bubble," lets users tag contacts with short reminders (bubbles) that appear whenever the contact is called or calls. "This serves as a good way to remember asking your friend for the $50 he owes you," according to the video on their website.
About American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (AABGU) plays a vital role in sustaining David Ben-Gurion's vision, creating a world-class institution of education and research in the Israeli desert, nurturing the Negev community and sharing the University's expertise locally and around the globe. With some 20,000 students on campuses in Beer-Sheva, Sede Boqer and Eilat in Israel's southern desert, BGU is a university with a conscience, where the highest academic standards are integrated with community involvement, committed to sustainable development of the Negev. AABGU is headquartered in Manhattan and has nine regional offices throughout the U.S. For more information, visit www.aabgu.org.