Near Field Communication isn't "the future" if you can build something EPIC right now.

Are you a developer, entrepreneur or startup looking to create the next generation of mobile interactive technologies? The Isobar Create 32 NFC Hackathon @ APPNATION III might be remembered as the tipping point - the pivotal two days - when Near Field Communication (NFC) technology became more than a promise.

And you might be remembered as somebody who made it happen.

Isobar Create 32 @ APPNATION III will be Silicon Valley's first hackathon of its kind to explore the NFC chip inside next generation mobile devices like the Google Nexus S and Nokia N9 to find greater uses for this exciting new technology. Unlike other hackathons, developers can program their application on any NFC-enabled smartphone platform they choose. At the end of the event, hopeful innovators and entrepreneurs will have an opportunity to showcase their innovations in front of the APPNATION audience of leading investors, partners, buyers and more.

Near Field Communication (NFC) technology will let us make transactions, exchange digital content, and connect electronic devices like never before. Your phone will be your credit card, boarding pass, hotel room key, and coupons at the supermarket. You'll only buy the 3 minutes you need on the parking meter. It's an amazing future than can continue to emerge.

Register now, or see below for the sleep-deprived, caffeinated, hero-making details.

You mean other than a place in the history books? Exposure to some of the most notable innovators, venture capitalists and influencers in the tech community? Fine. Everybody gets a cool t-shirt. We'll have door prizes (random, sure, but cool stuff). And we'll be giving out various prizes, cash, a trophy, and some good PR to the top three winning teams. But if you're just in it for the admiration, that's okay too. Who isn't?

Apps should be developed using NFC technology across 8 categories:

• NFC for a Cause
• NFC and Non-NFC Enabled Devices
• NFC in the NFL (& other sports)
• NFC and the Environment
• NFC for Business
• NFC for Play
• NFC for Media
• NFC for Cars

Attendees should be prepared to bring their laptop, power cables (and any other tools they need to create and develop with). Isobar will provide the facilities, power, connectivity, food, and refreshments, and experts will be on-hand to help you think through your idea, answer questions and give advice. We'll also have the following equipment on hand, including: Nexus S phones, N9 phones, Galaxy S phones, NFC Tags to make real-world objects 'machine readable, NFC Readers (SCM 3711), and Demo code.

In the meantime, here are some links to documentation and technical resources that may help you prepare:

• NXP introduction to NFC – NXP is a pioneer of NFC technology, a bit hardware-oriented: http://www.nxp.com/technical_support/NFC/index.html
• Radio-Electronics – Introduction to NFC: http://goo.gl/XXuhF
• Google I/O presentation featuring the Nexus S: http://goo.gl/qzHXY
• White papers from the NFC Forum: http://goo.gl/Se6LO
• The Android NFC Demo App: http://goo.gl/fdutp
• Slideshare presentations about NFC (some good overview here): http://goo.gl/Ai88Z
• Touchatag Developer site: http://www.touchatag.com/developer/docs/index
• NFC FAQ on TagStand: http://www.tagstand.com/pages/faq
• Tagsquared 100+ NFC Applications: http://tagsquared.com/blog/100-nfc-applications
• HTC Development Site: http://HTCDev.com/

When coding ends at 4:00pm on Thursday, 12/1, each team will have 5 minutes to present their work to an all-star cast of judges, including:

• Samir Agarwal, Head of MeeGo, Nokia
• Paula Berger, Consultant, NFC World and former Executive Director of the NFC Forum
• Damien Balsan, Ebay-PayPal and former Director of NFC Business Development at Nokia
• Doug Busk, Head of Global Mobile Brand Strategy, Coca-Cola
• John Hadl, Venture Partner, US Venture Partners
• Jason Johnson, Managing Director, Founders Den
• Yoon Lee, VP, Head of Global Product Innovation, Samsung Electronics
• Michael Nicholas, Chief Strategy Officer, Isobar
• Nick Pelly, NFC Technical Lead, Google

Each team is expected to build a technical proof of concept during the 32 hours. Winning apps will be based on whether they fundamentally change the way businesses operate or the way consumers behave, or both. Using a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the best, apps will be judged by the following criteria:

• Impact on a brand or a business (e.g., does it increase sales, improve customer retention, etc.)
• Impact on consumers (e.g., does it fundamentally change the way consumers behave)
• Commercial viability and market potential (e.g., does it have the ability to succeed and be profitable)
• The 'like never before' factor (e.g., novelty value and overall coolness of the idea)

Here's a snapshot of what you can expect:

1. If you're looking for a team to develop something with, arrive by 7:30am so you have time to mingle and hook up or ask us to help you.
2. We'll get started at 8:00am sharp. Michael Nicholas, Chief Strategy Offer at Isobar, will kick things off with some opening remarks, including a brief look at Isobar, who we are, what we do, why we're hosting this event, and what we hope to see from the teams.
3. At 8:15am, we'll welcome Damien Balsan, Director of NFC Business Development at Nokia and NFC guru to the stage. Damien will provide an overview of NFC technology and showcase some of the NFC apps working today all around the world.
4. At 8:45am, Isobar's Director of Mobile, Yuval Zukerman, will provide information about all the tools that will be at your disposal.
5. Then, finally, at 9:00am, coding will begin.
6. We'll feed you and water you and Red Bull you throughout the 32 hours. We'll also have a couple of couches if you need a nap.
7. At 3:30pm on Thursday 12/1, everyone stops coding. Each team will have five minutes to present their work to the audience -- and the judges. Then we'll go our separate ways for an hour or so. We think you'll go home and clean yourselves up!
8. At 4:40pm on Thursday 12/1, we'll reveal the top 3 apps created during the hackathon and hand out prizes and respect to the winners.

Can you hook me up with collaborators if I show up alone?
You bet. Isobar Create 32 is for developers and designers, and we encourage you to team up and work in ad-hoc development teams. But don't fret if you don't have a team before you get here. If you have a good idea but you're not sure you can build it on your own, or if you're a coder who wants a designer to work with, we'll do our best to match you up with a team when you arrive.

I can't stay the whole 32 hours, can I still participate?
Of course! We realize that 32 hours is a long time, and that some people will want to catch the keynotes and expo at APPNATION III. We strongly encourage you to be present for the initial few hours during the startup demos, and for the final few hours for the presentations and judging. But if you can, plan to stay. We'll be feeding you. And we'll have a couple couches on hand so you can stretch out and get comfortable.

Who owns the code I write?
You do, unless you're using something that belongs to someone else. We'd like to make a few screenshots of promising projects, and we'll be video taping certain parts of the event for public relations and marketing communication purposes; we assume that's okay.

What am I waiting for?
We really have no idea. Isobar Create 32 @ APPNATION III is your opportunity to meet the people and work with the tools that are revolutionizing our future. Did we mention registration is FREE? Sign up now.