If you follow the comings and goings in smartphone news, you’ll probably feel similarly cynical about the term 'innovation' as we do. Every new phone that is launched on enormous stages in front of giant, stadium-sized TV screens comes with the promise of innovative new features, but most of these prove to be effectively useless in the hands of everyday consumers.
You know the features we are talking about: eye-tracking cameras, heart-rate monitors, barometers and pedometers. Even components which should be useful, like fingerprint security, have so far proved to be more gimmick than gain for the end user.
But for every battery-draining sensor or poorly designed widget, there are some that really make our phones easier and better to use. Apps that become part of our workflow or lifestyle, tools that we now can’t live without. The telcos are changing rapidly too, with new offers, new features, new ways to protect customers from bill shock, scams and international roaming fees.
Canstar Blue is looking to award the makers of these important inventions with an Innovation Excellence award, so that these achievements can get the recognition they deserve. If you have know of a Telecommunications product or service which has been created or updated in the past 18-months, then you can nominate it now.
The awards are broadly for the Telecommunications industry in Australia, so your nomination could be for a phone or tablet, an app or feature of a device or even for a service offered by one of the telcos in Australia. Winners will be decided based on the degree of Innovation and the impact this has had for everyday Australians.
Entries are open now and close on January 16, 2015.
Joseph Hanlon
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