A big day out in the Hotel Room of the Future

Today we had a great day out at the Hotel Operations Technology Conference and Exhibition (HOT 11) at Darling Harbour in Sydney. As part of the exhibition, a number of leading edge technology and product suppliers have collaborated to present their wares in the "Hotel Room of the Future" exhibit. The exhibit is proving to be at least as popular if not more so than it was in its inaugural year last year. We narrowly missed the opportunity back then and are very pleased to be a part of such an innovative exhibit this year. You might ask, "What's in the Hotel Room of the Future?" The answer is: absolute and unparalleled luxury: - as far as we can see. Including a large bedroom, incredibly spacious bathroom and private TechnoGym gymnasium, the room is fully kitted out. There's been nothing spared. The finest linens; the latest in telephone technology; an incredible 52 inch Phillips TV Screen; what we think is world's comfiest bed; bathroom fittings that include a toilet and bidet that always puts the seat down when you leave, and opens again when it 'sees' you; air conditioning that's just perfect; SuiteControl software to coordinate the room's technology and hotel services; and the clever iGlass that lets natural light in and gives you absolute privacy at the flick of a switch. It's almost too much, but wherever that room is, we're booking in!

HOT11 has given us the opportunity to present our latest Microsoft Surface offering, the nsquared hospitality pack, to the industry.

We put together a pack of three customisable Surface apps.

Each application is designed to deliver information and services directly to the guests in order to give them a smoother, hassle-free stay that's more on their terms.

For hotel foyers, nsquared concierge enables guests to explore facilities and sights in the area.

For a complete in-room experience, nsquared room service lets guests avoid the calls to the kitchen and explore the menu themselves. They can select their chosen food and beverages order and send it directly to the to the kitchen - all from the tabletop.

For resort style locations, we created the nsquared tourist table software. This lets guests explore the activities on offer and then build their own itinerary for the day. The day's activities can be billed directly to the guest's room account.

For our part, we didn't stop introducing these apps to conference visitors all day, and it seems that we've hit some sweet spots. Time will tell.

One thing we're sure of: tabletop computing has obvious applications in the hotel hospitality industry.

Exchange Server 2003 Compatibility

Today, we're as excited as we are relieved to be able to let everyone know that ntask has made good friends with Exchange Server 2003.

To be fair, when the ntask concept first came to us, we underestimated the number of business users who are still working with Exchange Server 2003 and who also have iPads.

To all of our faithful customers who've waited patiently over the last few weeks, a very big "Thank You!" for your prompt feedback. You should have your updates by now, and we sincerely hope you've started to enjoy the benefits that ntask offers you. We look forward to hearing from you especially if you think it can still be better, too!

To celebrate the latest release, we've dropped the price to USD 2.99 until next Monday. For everyone who's been waiting for the Exchange 2003 compatibility, the time is now. Enjoy!

The Value of Money

Today, it's probably fair to say that the real value of money and even the fiscal system itself is questionable at best. But getting into government policy isn't what we're about here. We just want to let you know that nsquared coin swap, our latest educational app for iPad, is up and running on the App store. coin swap is designed as a fun activity to enhance mathematical skills using coins.

Ready for one or two players, the nsquared coin swap game challenges players to use their knowledge of coin values and their mathematical skills to collect the greatest amount of money possible each game. Right now it includes activities with American, Australian, British, Canadian, European and Japanese coins, and we'll look forward to adding more. (I'm voting for Danish coins next, and if you've ever seen them and been to Denmark, you'd know why)

Enjoy it and let us know what you think!