Write a cell-phone app, win $25k

Mobile applications get better and more complex every year. They allow us to to work from anywhere, have more fun, and keep in touch with our friends and colleagues. But can they do even more?

What would be the next big application for mobile devices -- and can you create it?

If so, Nokia and Segway inventor Dean Kamen are looking for you. They’re sponsoring a $25,000 prize for the best new mobile applications “that enhance the use of mobile devices in real-world scenarios.” Prizes will be awarded in three categories:

Eco-Challenge - "Make a Difference": Developers who submit for this category will be building tools to help people take care of the environment - from charger reminders to mobile learning applications, from navigation info to recycling tips.

Emerging Markets - "IMAGINE the Possibilities": The mission of the Emerging Markets Challenge is to open up new opportunities for developers to pioneer & monetize services impacting the daily lives of millions in developing nations. Examples include applications providing health information and data access, apps offering low-cost infotainment, SMS-driven apps that inform rural agricultural workers of the best time and place to bring products to market, as well as literacy and general education solutions.

Technology Showcase - "Developer Showdown": Open to all technologies, if it runs on S60 or Series 40, then we want to see it! Regardless if it has just been created or you have been selling it for a while, casual or commercial, we want to showcase the best of the best. Be it on Flash Lite, Java, Python, or open source. If it’s a game, enterprise solution, Web-based widget, or just a cool application that will enhance the mobile user experience, then this is the category to enter.

So, do you think you can program the next big for mobile devices? If so, hop to it. Entries are due December 15th.

Youth Isn't Wasted on the Young

Inventors seem to be getting younger and younger these days. Take William Yuan for example. This 12-year-old from Beaverton, Oregon, received a lot of press last week for inventing a new type of 3D solar cell that, theoretically, could absorb 500 times more light than current solar cells. He earned a $25,000 scholarship for his research, and is currently seeking to commercialize it.

Do younger people have an advantage when it comes to developing new ideas? Yes, says William Webb, Head of Research & Development for the European telecom regulator, Ofcom. "People do have their best ideas when they're young. They're less encumbered by things that have already been tried and failed. You tend to run with new ideas when you're young."

Webb just may know what he's talking about. In his Ph.D. thesis, he invented one of the key concepts that makes all of today's Wi-Fi communications possible.

Of course, early success can come with an unfair side-effect. "Achieving things young does create a certain 'what next?' pressure," says Webb, "rather than the 'sit back and enjoy the recognition' that might have happened were I closer to the end of my career!"

But don't let that stop you. As long as your mind is free to think of new ideas, let it. You never know what you're going to come up with.

Greengineering: A great way to build your career

Hey, look, I just created a word: Greengineering, (n.) engineering work done in a "green" or eco-positive field.

If you're passionate about the environment, or if you're just looking for a challenging career, greengineering could be the way to go. And all you have to do is look at the news to see how many ways you can get yourself into a green engineering career.

For example, engineers in India are developing smart dust sensors "which would be capable of keeping track of endangered species."

A new course is intended to help meet the huge need for engineers to develop buildings that meet the LEED standards for green building.

The wind-power industry is expected to double in size in the next 20 years.

Other engineers are working on communications systems, battery technologies, solar- and hydrogen-power systems, devices to monitor the oceans, devices that use fewer toxic components, etc., etc., etc.

This really just scratches the surface. Green is in, but new technologies don't go anywhere without engineers.

So start thinking about green. The world needs problem-solvers, and they could be you.