(image courtesy Cartoonstock)

It’s finally springtime, and that means getting out and getting moving! Snaptic, developers of the 3Banana notes app, are looking to encourage more Android users to work out! They’ve partnered with HopeLab to run a contest offering developers the chance to win awards for apps developed around the idea of getting healthier.

Personally, I think this is awesome. I’m trying to lose weight and get in better shape, and I’ll be watching closely for the apps that come out of this challenge!

Snaptic and HopeLab Announce the Android “Move Your App” Developer Challenge

TED to invite winner to attend TED Global 2010 in Oxford

(PRWEB) April 22, 2010 — Snaptic (https://snaptic.com), a developer of smartphone and web applications that capture, organize, and share information has partnered with HopeLab (http://www.hopelab.org/), a non-profit focused on improving the quality of life for young people with chronic illness, to sponsor the “Move Your App” developer challenge (https://snaptic.com/events) in response to the2010 TED Prize Wish (http://www.tedprize.org/).

It is widely recognized that the obesity epidemic and sedentary behavior are catastrophic to global health. Today’s smartphone platforms, such as Android and software APIs like those offered by Snaptic, offer new tools for developers to create apps that give individuals more power and control to improve their health.

“Onboard smartphone sensors, the growth of large online social networks, and mass adoption of mobile software offer fertile ground for a new breed of apps that encourage and measure movement,” said Steve Brown, CEO of Snaptic. “We are excited to work with HopeLab and the Android developer community to help everyone reach a higher state of health and well being.”

HopeLab has joined with Snaptic on this challenge to help advance one of its key initiatives which is focused on addressing the obesity epidemic and sedentary behavior among young people. HopeLab is keenly interested in how mobile technology and mobile apps can inspire people to move more.

“Partnering with Snaptic on this Developer Challenge is a fantastic way to explore how these new tools might reach more people faster and ignite movement in unique and innovative ways” noted Pat Christen, President and CEO of HopeLab.

The World Health Organization’s latest global projections indicate that in 2005 approximately 1.6 billion adults were overweight and projects that by 2015, that figure will rise to 2.3 billion. In the United States, over one-third of Americans are currently overweight or obese, a figure projected to grow to 43 percent, or 103 million people by 2018 if current trends continue. This will translate to an estimated $344 billion in medical-related expenses, consuming 21% of U.S. healthcare spending annually.

The need for change is urgent, and the time is now for new ways to combat this growing epidemic.

The challenge calls on Android developers to create apps that get people to move, are fun to use, and are innovative in their approach to encouraging physical activity. Snaptic will be providing resources for developers to draw from to build their apps and the winners will be selected and awarded at its upcoming developer conference on May 27, 2010 in San Francisco, California.

The Move Your App conference also affords developers the opportunity to learn about what it takes to move an app to market, with numerous expert speakers presenting on a range of subjects, such as: running and financing a startup, marketing and promoting apps, tips and tricks for Android programming, and much more.

Developers can register for the challenge starting Thursday April 22, 2010 and must complete and submit their application by Friday, May 21, 2010. The top finalists will be given an opportunity to showcase their applications at the Snaptic developer conference and the winners will be announced live at the event by a panel of expert judges.

The panel of judges features luminaries and experts such as Juan Enriquez, Author, Futurist, & Partner at Excel Venture Management; Marten Mickos, CEO of Eucalyptus Systems & former CEO MySQL; Amy Novogratz, TED Prize Director; Pam Omidyar, Founder and Board Chair, HopeLab; George Zachary, Partner at Charles River Ventures, and others.

The first place winner’s travel and accommodations to TED Global 2010 in Oxford will be sponsored by HopeLab, and TED will extend an invitation for the winner to attend the conference. The Move Your App prize was inspired in part by Jamie Oliver, who was awarded the 2010 TED Prize for his tireless fight to improve the health of young people everywhere and turn the tide on unhealthy diets. Jamie’s wish states, “I wish for everyone to create a strong, sustainable movement to educate every child about food, inspire families to cook again and empower people everywhere to fight obesity.”

Amy Novogratz, TED Prize Director, said “Challenging thousands of app developers to make people move is a fantastic way to promote a healthier lifestyle.” She continued, “The Move Your App challenge embodies the self-organizing principle of the TED Prize and the spirit of Jamie’s wish in the fight against obesity.”

Complete contest rules and conference information can be found at http://snaptic.com/events

About HopeLab

HopeLab is a nonprofit organization that combines rigorous research with innovative solutions to improve the health and quality of life of young people with chronic illness. HopeLab works closely with young people themselves to understand their needs and to incorporate their critical and ongoing input into product development. HopeLab is committed to the scientific study of their interventions to ensure their products are effective. More information can be found at http://hopelab.org.

About Snaptic

Snaptic develops web and mobile applications that make it simple to capture, organize, and share information on the go and keep it connected in the cloud. Snaptic is the leader in note-taking and geo-tagging applications in the Android Market with over 2.5 million active installs and numerous integrations with many of the market’s top applications. For more information, please visit http://snaptic.com.

About TED

TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 25 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. The annual TED Conference invites the world’s leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes. Their talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Al Gore, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, NgoziOkonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The annual TED Conference takes place in Long Beach, California; TEDGlobal is held each year in Oxford, UK.