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MOBiE ODAI Contest: Come challenge your creativity (PDF Type, 165 kByte)

August 6, 2009

MOBiE-ODAI Contest: Come challenge your creativity!

Singapore, August 06, 2009 – Mobile devices are getting smarter every day. With the launch of the MOBiE-ODAI Contest, your phone or PDA (personal digital assistant) could soon be recommending movies or restaurants based on your personal preference. Imagine a new era of smart technology that can cater to your needs, whenever and wherever you want it.

Jointly organized by Hitachi Asia Ltd (Hitachi) and A*STAR’s Data Storage Institute (DSI), the MOBiE-ODAI Contest – An Idea Generation and Software Development Contest, is aimed at expanding mobile lifestyle applications with the use of intelligent software to capture personal activity logs.

The ‘Odai’ in MOBiE-Odai, お題 (pronounced as “Oh-dye”) means subject or a theme of problems, hence MOBiE-ODAI means the ‘subject or a theme on mobility’. With the ideas generated from this contest, users would then be truly mobile, able to connect to other people and web services simply by plugging into their mobile devices.

“Hitachi Asia is proud to choose Singapore as the premier location for this contest. The MOBiE-ODAI contest is in line with Hitachi’s pioneering spirit because it challenges participants to be creative, innovative and resourceful in exploring the use of technology to connect personal information to the real and internet world. We encourage participants to build powerful software applications and unique application ideas. We also hope that this contest can be a platform to help uncover high-caliber talents in engineering,” said Mr Toshio Toda, Managing Director of Hitachi Asia.

The contest would also introduce Plog-in Platform (PiP) software, a personal log storage system that collects and stores a user’s personal activity over a lifetime automatically and transparently into mobile devices such as cell phones. Please refer to Annex A for more information on PiP.

“Mobile devices have become an essential item for everyone now. Pushing the edge in the way we use these devices is extremely exciting. DSI is very pleased to be part of this event which encourages the creation of applications for next-generation technology,” said Professor Chong Tow Chong, Executive Director, DSI

The MOBiE-ODAI contest provides an opportunity for individuals to showcase their creativity in idea generation and software development and to those who aspire to improve and sharpen their programming skills for emerging smart technologies. By combining the software and ideas generated with Plog-in Platform software, more personalized services can be at your fingertips. There are no boundaries for creativity; hence individuals are encouraged to think big!

The contest ends on 31st of December, 2009 and participants stand a chance to win prizes worth up to S$12,000. To enter, participants enter a contest entry form downloadable from the website http://www.plog-in.com.

About Hitachi Asia Ltd.

Hitachi Asia Ltd., a subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd., established in Singapore in 1989, operates across seven Asian countries (India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam). Business includes information systems, power and industrial systems, digital media systems, and international procurement. For more information about Hitachi Asia, please visit the website at https://www.hitachi.com.sg.

About Data Storage Institute

The Data Storage Institute (DSI) is a member of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). Established in 1992 as the Magnetics Technology Centre (MTC), it was renamed Data Storage Institute in 1996. The research institute’s vision is to be a vital node in a global community of knowledge generation and innovation, nurturing research talents and capabilities for world-class R&D in next generation storage technologies. DSI is a member of the non-profit Information Storage Industry Consortium (INSIC) of USA. For more information, please visit http://www.dsi.a-star.edu.sg