Pokki Launches $50,000 Contest for Web Developers to Re-invent the Desktop with Awesome HTML5 Apps

Pokki Launches $50,000 Contest for Web Developers to Re-invent the Desktop with Awesome HTML5 Apps

New Desktop App Platform Extends Support to All Windows Operating Systems, Introduces First Music Pokkies, Rdio and Grooveshark

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- SweetLabs Inc., the company behind Pokki, today announced the launch of an online contest that will reward web developers for creating awesome connected desktop applications. Pokki is a new platform that brings the modern app experience to the desktop by enabling web developers to easily create and distribute connected desktop apps using standard web languages like HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript.

The Pokki Challenge is now open for submissions at http://www.pokki.com/contest. Pokkies will be judged on variety of criteria including Utility, Appearance, User Experience, Uniqueness, and Quality. A first place prize of $30,000 will be awarded, with a second place prize of $13,000 and a third place prize of $7,000. Pokkies will be judged by an all-star panel of web development and design gurus, including Braden Kowitz, Design Partner at Google Ventures; Preshit Deorukhkar, Curator of the BeautifulPixels.com website; Fontaine Shu, Lead Pokki Engineer; and Angel Leon, Open Source Coder. The deadline for submission is November 15th, 2011, and winners will be announced at the end of November.

Pokki was launched in beta on June 28 and has seen strong interest from both developers and users. Pokkies for a wide range of services from Twitter to LivingSocial have demonstrated that providing users one-click, always-on access to apps on the desktop drive tremendous engagement. Some of the latest Pokkies to be released are for the popular streaming music services Rdio and Grooveshark, the first Pokkies to support a true multimedia experience, providing the full functionality of their services in lightweight desktop apps.

The beta was first available on the Windows 7 operating system, and Pokki has now extended support to Windows Vista and Windows XP. Mac support is due to arrive later this year.

"Pokki enables web developers, for the first time, to create awesome, connected desktop apps without having to deal with the pain of creating desktop software," said Adrian Bourke, Vice President, Products and co-founder of SweetLabs. "Based on the early enthusiasm from developers and users, we felt it was the perfect time to kick off the Pokki Challenge to encourage and reward new apps that reinvigorate the enormous yet stale desktop app experience."

To check out Pokki and receive more information on the Pokki Developer Contest, visit http://www.pokki.com/contest.

About SweetLabs

SweetLabs was founded in 2008 to empower developers to reach new users and monetize great applications. The company's first product was the OpenCandy advertising network, which powers user-friendly software recommendations during the download and installation process. In June 2011, SweetLabs launched Pokki, an application platform that brings the modern "app" experience to the desktop, enabling developers to create engaging, connected desktop applications using standard web languages like HTML5. SweetLabs is based in San Diego and funded by Google Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, and O'Reilly AlphaTech Ventures. Visit www.sweetlabs.com for more information.

SOURCE SweetLabs Inc.

SweetLabs Inc.

CONTACT: Tom Huntington, +1-619-743-9057, tom@sweetlabs.com

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