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The Ideathon competition quickly became a fan favorite segment of ArabNet events and a great way to spot early entrepreneurial talent and ideas after its introduction in 2010, and this year's showcase was no different. We had 8 aspiring people each with an idea that they would like to turn into a real business, and they took their vision to the stage for 2 minutes to tell us how they think they can make our lives better.

We would like to thank Qualcomm who generously stepped forward and sponsored the competition. So without further ado, here are the top 3 ideas, as well as the people's choice award, for our latest Ideathon battle...

Moujaz is a service that summarizes online articles in real time. Users download and install a plugin in their browser which allows them to get a summary of a page they are looking at. This allows users to quickly catch up on different issues without having to read the entire articles.

The algorithm extracts the most important sentences from an article using a text processing algorithm. The quality of the summaries improves over time using input from users who highlight or share additional sentences.

2nd place winner: Abeer Omar

Abeer presented Markabati, an online service that allows car owners to find reliable car workshops based on their location and browse some basic diagnostic tips for car problems. Users can also post comments about their visits to repairmen.

The workshops can be filtered based on location and the services they provide. But before heading out to get their car fixed, users can read some tips for diagnosing the fault themselves before making the trip. In addition, the app helps them keep track and manage their maintenance records either from the website or using the mobile app. The service will also email clients or notify them on their mobile devices and alert them about an impending upcoming oil change or a scheduled service visit along with suggestions for nearby workshops.

...and the 1st place winner: Darine Sabbagh

Baby Talk will be the Airbnb for baby items explains Darine. The service would act as a platform that addresses several troubles associated with buying and owning baby related merchandise. Firstly, it will act as an ecommerce store that allows parents to put used baby items up for sale. Additionally users can rent or borrow items from each other or from a proprietary store.

In exchange for a small commission, Baby Talk offers inspection, delivery and cleaning services for all items. Finally, the site will offer overnight delivery of baby necessities such as diapers and over the counter prescription drugs.

People's choice award: iStar

iStar is a online service, with iOS and Android apps, that allows people to upload a video in which they display their talent. Visitors then get to watch and rate their favorite clips. The voting will happen over a certain period of time after which winners will be announced under 2 categories:

• iTalent: which highlights the most popular talent or skill
  
• iModel: which selects its winner based on looks