The barriers of entry for developers of mobile apps have been tumbling over the past few years. This is great news for both developers and also customers, as they now have an enormous choice of apps to pick from.

To help ensure mobile apps deliver a great user experience, and to maximise the chances of creating a hit, you need to be aware of the unique characteristics of the mobile network environment. Developing great mobile services is very different to creating great web services for the fixed line world.

We’ve compiled a new guide, Developing Network-Friendly Applications, to help you develop in this area. It condenses the experience and knowledge of the leading network and device experts from around BlueVia and Telefonica. It’s full of advice on what to look for and best practice tips, BlueVia style.

The guide covers:

1. Mobile User Experience
2. “Network friendliness”
3. The components of the mobile network
4. Achieving efficient network connections
5. App updates and “networking hammering”
6. Instant messaging and other “chatty apps”
7. Handset power consumption considerations
8. Tariffs, roaming and moving between network providers

Visit the guide homepage to read it online or download a PDF copy to read later.

2012 is the UN’s International Year of Sustainable Energy for All. We can see where they’re coming from. The BlueVia team is a tech-hungry bunch and we know first hand from our home electricity bills that modern energy demands just keep rising.

How about we spend some time thinking about how we can use energy in a more sustainable, efficient and smart way?

The first ever Green ICT hackathon is a place to get involved. It’s organised by the International Telecommunications Union and after the success of last year’s ITU Green Apps Challenge we’re supporting it again this year.

The purpose of the hackathon is to develop a green app around sustainable energy for all. This could focus on:

• Energy efficiency: smart buidlings, intelligent transporation systems, smart homes.
• Access to energy: smart metering, energy billing systems, energy management.
• Renewable energy: smart grids, renewable energy potential, electric vehicles

The hackathon takes place between 14:00 Tue 28th – 13:00 Wed 29th Feb in Barcelona. Participation is free for companies and individuals so it doesn’t matter what background you come from. Location and dates coincide with Mobile World Congress but it takes place outside the Fira so you won’t need an MWC pass to join in the hackathon. Good news!

By taking part you’ll be working towards sustainable energy for all. You’ll also be in the running for prizes, including $5,000 for the winning hacks and some Nokia Lumia 800 smartphones.

Next steps:

• Register now
• Read more on the ITU website

Image thanks to OregonDOT on Flickr

BlueVia, Evernote & Wikimedia today announced a hackathon to increase the number people accessing and contributing content on Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit. Wikipedia is one the best examples of collaboration on the Internet, providing an open space for the sharing of information.

Help us to make Wikipedia bigger and better. Join our hackathon and design mobile apps, web services, and games to improve Wikipedia and contribute to a more democratic Internet that includes more people, and more open sharing of knowledge across all areas. Another kind of web is possible.

Read more about the hackathon and register now.