Cisco has some cash and services to give away. It is offering up $10,000 to the winner of a competition for the “most innovative, entertaining and compelling” idea for the “future of the Connected Life.” In a separate competition, it is offering up to $25,000 in Cisco products and services to small and midsize businesses as part of its Technology Awards 2007 (deadline for that is June 22).
Participants to its Connected Life competition are asked to submit an entry in 1,000 word or less a new experience or capability they would like networking and communicatons technologies to help them do, whether at home, at work, or on the move. Deadline is Sept. 14.
According to Cisco:
The Connected Life describes the unique, personalized experiences enabled by networked communications, whether at home, at work, or on the move. Cisco believes that the network is the platform for making daily life more entertaining, more productive and more convenient. This competition is designed to encourage everyone to participate in the creation of the Connected Life of tomorrow.
Entrants for its Growing with Technology Awards 2007 are asked to describe how their organization uses the Internet and networking technology – whether Cisco technology or not – to achieve its goals.
Patrick Ancipink, director of product marketing at AlterPoint in his blog describes the Connected Life competition as Cisco “trolling the waters for some new ideas and looking for a cheaper alternative to buying innovation through acquisition.” He slams Cisco’s competition rules, which states that all submissions – either winners or not – transfer the intellectual property rights to the sponsor (i.e., Cisco).
This could work both ways I guess. If I had a really neat idea, I don’t think I would mind a company the size of Cisco selling my idea. Perhaps Cisco could offer the innovator a job….
What do you think?
Another vendor competition: Web Worker Daily has details of a contest sponsored by Microsoft and HP for celebrity designer Vern Yop of HGTV to do a $25,000 home office makeover.
Go to Cisco Subnet for our own competitions, Cisco news, discussion forums, blogs and security alerts.
