Developer Howard Harte wants to innovate, and he is using prize money to get a jump on the competition. Harte is offering $1000 to the first person who can build a software-based hack of Google TV that will allow him to install third-party applications onto the device. While it was released only a month ago, Harte already has big ideas for Google TV. By reaching out to the hacker community for support, Harte is ensuring that he is first to market with his software. In class, we discussed how offering prize money can help tech companies generate ideas. In this particular case, the prize competition will also benefit conversion, allowing Hart to develop his concepts into functioning prototypes before Google offers third-party application support. While Harte argues that the incentive he is offering benefits the developer community as a whole, he will no doubt reap the benefits of being a first-mover in the marketplace.
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One reply on “Prize Money Incentivizes Google TV Hack”
Hacking a proprietary system for third party applications seems to be the norm now for software advancement. Think of the jailbroken iPhone as another example. Is this hacker community a good example of a sort of “division” that runs as a silo? They are, after all, breaking into the systems to hack them. Or are these “divisions” that are integrated into the process? Does Google expect them their system to be broken into and perhaps hope it will happen?
If Google and Apple want to take advantage of the hacker community for product enhancements the question becomes: Are they doing a good job of working with these “divisions”?