New Android Challange Project - Project DriveBy

[Project...@gmail.com]

Please read the following project summary. After you've read it,
please send an email to Project...@gmail.com if you are interested
in joining the project. Please include your CV/resume and a _very_
short cover letter explaining what talents you posses that you believe
will be useful for this project.

Over the next few weeks, we will contact those whose talents match
those we're looking for.

Project Summary
The DriveBy Project enables customers to receive advertisements for
goods/services that they have shown interest in from vendors in their
current immediate vicinity. The service is strictly opt-in --
customers choose both the type and frequency of the ads. Vendors pay
only for ads delivered. Because these ads are delivered to potential
customers that have shown interest in the vendor's product/service and
are within the vendor's vicinity right now, they will be willing to
pay a premium for this service.

Actors
Customers - a customer owns an Android enabled device with the DriveBy
software loaded on it. The Driveby software monitors the device's
current location and queries the Driveby server for ads meeting the
user's criteria. As ads are delivered, the vendor's account is
charged.

Vendors - an entity with a local good/service that they wish to sell.
As customers travel around, they are presented with ads for business
in their current vicinity. If they choose to accept the ad (perhaps
it has a coupon), they are then given directions from their current
location to that business.

Driveby - The entity that holds the customer preferences and is paid
by vendors to deliver advertisements to customers.

Project Goals
- Our phase one goal is to win the $25,000 round 1 prize in the
Developer challenge. The proceeds from this first phase will be used
to purchase hardware and bandwidth to get the project off the ground.
The recognition from this round will enable us to attract more talent.
- Our phase two goal is to win one of the $250,000 round 2 prizes. We
will use the proceeds from this phase to get a company off the
ground. This will include forming a LLC and offering employment to
top tier contributers.
- Our phase three goal is to grow the company quickly on a sound
financial foundation. When the time is right, we will either initiate
a public offering or sell the company to another.

Current Status
Currently, we are a very few people with a great idea and the talent/
drive to make at least part of it a reality. We're going to bring
this project to fruition, but need help in areas where we have no
experience. We have a plan to share interest in the eventual company
with those who contribute to its success. Those who contribute a lot
will receive a greater share than those who contribute a little.

Please understand that in the beginning there will be no monetary
compansation for work that is done -- think of it as open source with
potential. If any prize money is won, it will be folded right back
into the project. We will keep track of those who contribute, and
those who are top contributers will be recognized along with the
project founders in any recognition that Google bestows.

If you do decide to contribute, please realize that you will be
assigned a manager and will be expected to produce results just as
thought you were working on a job. We expect that you will work
anywhere from two to ten hours per week on this project until March
2008, depending on your role and what part of the development cycle
we're in. Please do not apply if you cannot support this schedule.

What we're looking for
o Object Oriented Design experience
o Java development experience
o Database (MySQL) development experience
o Project Development experience
o Systems Integration experience
o Systems Administration experience
o Marketing experience
o Management experience
o Legal experience
o Venture Funding

The good part
Ok, now that I've scared most of you off, here's the good part: This
project is exactly the sort of thing that all the pundits think Google
is thinking of doing with the Google Phone platform. So why should we
build it if they already are you ask? Well, it's early enough that
Google may not even be working on it yet. Even if they are, they are
going to need a good team of people to do it and, well, here we are
already packaged up! And if they don't, well this sort of thing is
going to be a success anyway, and there are other players in the
marketplace who are going to find us very interesting (Don't worry, C#
is just like Java!) Worst case - you work on a project for a few
weeks and can claim on your resume that you were part of a team that
worked on (won!?) the Android Developers Challenge.

[Montrix]

Hi!

I'm Jordi from Spain, when i read your post this morning i think "Ups!
this is exactly my idea!" xD, now i must join to your project or do it
alone... perhaps if we work together we have more possibilies to win
the chalange or to do something good whit it.
I'm very interested in this kind of projects and the future of mobile
marketing, not only advertisment too marketing one2one. This challenge
and android paltaform is and excellent opportunity to startup!.
I'm currently working for leader direct Marketing group in Spain as a
customer intelligence analist and programmer. If i can join to
ProjectDriveBy i would like to be an active part of this project :)

Where are you from and how many actually?.

Att.
Jordi

PD: Excuse me poor english xD.

On Nov 29, 6:31 am, "ProjectDriv...@gmail.com"

<ProjectDriv...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Please read the following project summary. After you've read it,

> please send an email to ProjectDriv...@gmail.com if you are interested

[gpsmobiler]

I wish you luck on this venture, but in the hope that this is
constructive criticism you are going to face some VERY big momentum-
start/critical-mass problems:
* Getting your DriveBy app on consumers handsets (even if it's
FREE)
* Getting vendor/advertiser confidence/uptake
* Convincing customers to accept advertising by opt-in. eg. why opt
for something to 'nag' you.

And, if you get past these hurdles, there's the practically ensured
probability of Google doing this themselves, and doing it better than
anyone else. Companies go out of business overnight when Google
decides to move in.

Hope I haven't scared you too much.

[Project...@gmail.com]

Hi Jordi,

Thank you for your interest in the project. Working from Spain should
be no problem -- we expect to have participants from around the
globe. Please go ahead and send your CV/resume to
Project...@gmail.com. Don't worry, we will not share your
information with anyone. Please also paste in your oringinal message
below to the body of your email.

Thanks!

[jklondon]

no reason why google would bring you in-house if you could put together something solid so I would def give this a shot!

[YA]

A very obvious idea, to be honest... There is a host of LBS
applications being done currently, some have already been discussed.

[Aghi Holl]

Obvious? Yes, maybe, but can you translate it to a real world
software? Seems like ProjectDriveBy is going to do it.
Should you have more respect for other peoples work?

On Nov 29, 2007 10:54 AM, YA <yuri.a...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> A very obvious idea, to be honest... There is a host of LBS
> applications being done currently, some have already been discussed.
>
> >
>

--
Aghi Holl
http://androidwear.com
Gear your Droid!

[YA]

I am afraid it is already translated by several other members here on
the forum. And it is important to know that Google already owns an LBS
company. Have you seen this?

http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2007/11/jaiku-android-and-googles-mobile-ads.html

The idea is not only obvious, it is public. How long do you think an
independent company can stand against a Google division doing the same
as other only prepare?

[Project...@gmail.com]

Thanks so much for the constructive criticism, please keep it coming.
I'll take your points one at a time.

Getting the software on handsets:
This is really just a marketing/money problem. In the early days of
the Internet, companies like Amazon would practically give away
product to gain customers -- we believe the same thing is about to
happen in the mobile world. Customers will load our software, or
software like it, because doing so will give them great prices on
things they already want to buy. We get them interested with great
prices. We educate them to expect to get a discount.

Vendor confidence/uptake
Vendor uptake is easy -- they're either plugged into this kind of
marketing or they're not. The early adopters will be, and we have to
bag some of them. Those early wins will help convince the later
adopters of the business model and of our ability to deliver.

Convincing customers to opt in
Consumers will do crazy things for a bargain. In the US, we just
experienced Black Thursday -- the day after Thanksgiving. Some people
were in line for two days to get pole position in line. People who
are willing to do that will be willing to put software on their cell
phone that will alert them to great deals -- it's really a matter of
education.

Google has simply shot the first salvo in the war to break up the
"walled garden". You can already see companies positioning themselves
for the change -- verizon just the other day announced that they will
open their network to all players. 2007-2008 is going to be a lot
like the early days of the Internet. Only now, we have 3B handsets
that people have with them 24/7 instead of 1B computers that people
can't carry around. Handsets change over quickly so adoption will be
fast.

As for Google moving into this space -- that would present a
challange, but it would also spell a tremendous opportunity because it
would validate the concept in a big way. Once google announces
something like this, their competitors will look around to find
someone who has something similar cooking -- that will be us!

All of this is only important after June or so -- until then, we
simply have to win a spot in the Android Challange.

Thanks and keep 'em coming!

[Project...@gmail.com]

Jaiku isn't specifically about advertising -- we're talking Google, so
of course that's what they'll do with it.

However there's a lot more to the DriveBy concept than just what the
Jaiku provides. We have to build a whole system: phone code, client
facing site, vendor facing site, etc. Jaiku is just a piece.

Besides, this just validates the concept. Google is big -- really
big, but they're not the only game in town. Once the concept becomes
completely validated, the other players (Yahoo/Microsoft/etc) will
need to do something in the space. They'll look around and find us.
That's a good thing.

However, first thing's first. Got to win the Contest! So join the
project and let's have some fun!

On Nov 29, 7:36 am, YA <yuri.ammo...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I am afraid it is already translated by several other members here on
> the forum. And it is important to know that Google already owns an LBS
> company. Have you seen this?
>

> http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2007/11/jaiku-android-and-googles-mo...