nsquared blog

Car shows and interactive tables

2011-11-17T14:03:00.000-08:00

At nsquared we have delivered a number of amazing experiences recently for car shows around the world, working with Lexus, Scion and Audi.

There are four tables at the Scion stand this week at the Los Angeles car show.

This video was taken a couple of weeks back at the Miami car show.

nsquared seamless computing

2011-08-28T21:49:00.000-07:00

The nsquared team in the Sydney studio has been working hard on a new framework for seamless computing. Check out the latest demonstration of their work in this video.

this video shows how Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Surface, Windows Phone 7 and Kinect devices can all be used together to create a seamless computing experience as users move between devices.

nsquared slyda updated!

2011-08-28T17:47:00.000-07:00

Last week we updated nsquared slyda for Microsoft Kinect.
We have had an overwhelming number of downloads and the feedback has been awesome. As expected in the early stages of a product we have found a few issues with the different hardware environments you have. We hope we have now addressed those but would love to hear your feedback.

If you like nsquared slyda, why not check out nsquared spydar.

nsquared spydar for Windows Kinect

2011-08-16T00:26:00.000-07:00

The clever boffins in the nsquared development studio have just released the first beta of nsquared spydar, an application that allows you to capture videos of people who move in front of your Kinect. All you need is a PC, and a Kinect device to try it, and best of all, it's free!

Capture video of intruders.

Easy to setup and install.

It's completely free!

Try it now.

nsquared circuits for iPad 1.5

2011-08-14T13:48:00.000-07:00

The latest version of nsquared circuits for iPad has just been released.

This update provides support for power sources, capacitors, fuses and has improved the electrical circuit simulation.

You can learn all about the magic of electrical circuits with this clever app that gives real time current, voltage and resistance readings.

Design your own electrical circuits by using any combination of electrical components that you'll find in the slick slide-up menus.

Included components are batteries, resistors, voltmeters, ammeters, signal lamps, filament lamps, switches and motors.

Great for both formal and informal discovery learning settings, this app has delighted everyone we know from young children to skilled electrical engineers.

Buy it now from the App Store.

Updated: Locus for Windows Phone 7

2011-08-12T16:05:00.000-07:00

We have just released an updated version of Locus for Windows Phone 7.

Locus lets you control who you share you location with down to individuals or by groups of your contacts, when you want you can share your location with the world through Twitter and Facebook.
-Never lose a friend again and keep in touch with your social circle.
-Create groups and place friends in a group.
-Change sharing options for the whole group.
-Post your location to Twitter and Facebook

Get it now for your Windows Phone 7.

University of Sydney Tech Lounge with Microsoft Surface

2011-08-03T22:32:00.000-07:00

The University of Sydney has just launched their new Tech Lounge, a space for students. Sponsored by Microsoft, the tech lounge includes a Microsoft Surface unit.

At nsquared we are proud to be a part of this innovative new space to help students learn, relax and engage with new technology.

The software chosen to run on the Microsoft Surface includes a number of the nsquared applications from both the nsquared education pack and the nsquared business pack.

Here we can see the VC has discovered one of the most favoured nsquared Surface applications, nsquared Paint.

A to Zoo summer special

2011-08-03T22:17:00.001-07:00

For the month of August we are reducing the price of A to Zoo for the iPad!
For just 99c USD you can have these four fantastic educational activities for the children (ages 5+) to explore.
The activities include spelling, counting, pattern matching and simple sets. there is also a bonus sticker book that you can use once you unlock the stickers form the other activities.

What a fantastic way to keep the children both entertained and educated during the summer (if you live in the northern hemisphere)

Watch a video review of A to Zoo

Buy A to Zoo now.

Surface Premier Partners listed on microsoft.com/surface……

2011-07-17T23:59:00.000-07:00

...….and we're on the list!

Having been involved since before Surface came to Market in the USA, it's great to be recognised by Microsoft for our work and product development in this area.

Of Surface Premier Partners, the site's page says:-

"Microsoft Surface is a pioneering product brought to life by pioneering partners committed to the vision of together-computing.

The Premier Partners listed on this page have met criteria that sets them above the rest when it comes to developing solutions for Surface. The partners have demonstrated proficiency and experience with Surface in the market and we provide this special accreditation to showcase their work.

The Premium Partner list is is arranged alphabetically and even though we're a little way down (we really should have thought about this when we named the company!), I think the most important column in the list is the "Certified App" column.

For Customers wanting to get the best out of Surface, this column tells them that there are a few partners who really know how to create software that maximises the potential of this amazing platform. There are only five Surface partners with the "Certified for Surface" credential, and we're proud to be able to say that of the 17-20 apps that are Certified for Surface, 10 of them were created by nsquared.

It's been a privilege to work with Surface V1 and we're looking forward to being able to release all the V2 apps that we have ready to go on Surface V2 launch day.

nsquared thoughts for Windows 7

2011-07-13T19:11:00.000-07:00

The popular Microsoft Surface application, nsquared thoughts, has now been recreated and enhanced for Windows 7!
Any multi-touch enabled hardware running Windows 7 can now take advantage of the features nsquared thoughts provides.

-Sketch out ideas on a blank canvas.
-Manipulate shapes and images to organize your thoughts.
-Open and annotate documents and spreadsheets.
-Save the diagram to a network folder or a USB key.

Follow the walk through to explore the features of nsquared thoughts

Find out more about nsquared thoughts.

nsquared slyda

2011-07-04T19:18:00.000-07:00

We've just created nsquared slyda, an application that allows you to flick through Microsoft PowerPoint slides using hand gestures with Kinect.
All you need is a PC, Microsoft PowerPoint and a Kinect device to try it, and best of all - it's free!

Try it now...

Let's go to the zoo, A to Zoo

2011-07-02T00:48:00.000-07:00

A to Zoo, our new iPad educational app has just launched in the app store.

Watch the video to see the app in action.

Here are some screen shots from the app.

We would love your feedback, so get it from the AppStore for your iPad and let us know what you think.

http://itunes.apple.com/app/a-to-zoo/id431166261?mt=8

A new version of nsync, thrice as good!

2011-06-23T21:43:00.000-07:00

We have just released an update to nsync, version 1.54 is now available for nsync, nsync sky edition and nsync classic edition. For tracking the time in multiple time zones and setting up meetings across time zones nsync is the software you need for your iPad.
Pick your style and purchase at the reduced price of only 99c until the end of June!

Managed Publishing 1.0 goes live

2011-06-21T21:14:00.000-07:00

For over a year now we have been running a beta program for Managed Publishing, our online PDF publishing tool.
Today we are pleased to announce that Managed Publishing 1.0 has gone live.

Authors can benefit from Managed Publishing by protecting their articles, papers and books from being unlawfully copied. Each time a customer purchases a copy of your work each page will be watermarked with the email address of the customer. Any piracy can then be traced back to the source.

We have a number of ebooks, white papers and articles being published already with the Managed Publishing service.
Here are some of our favourite publications.

The nsquared education pack at CEFPI OZ

2011-06-19T18:47:00.000-07:00

Lat week we had a great week at the CEFPI Australia conference in Sydney.
The nsquared team was there with a Microsoft Surface table demonstrating the nsquared education pack for Microsoft Surface.

Here are some photos we took of the event.

On the first day we had a students from two different schools visit the event.

The nsquared paint application is always very popular.

Learning to spell can always be a challenge, nsquared letters can make it fun and competitive.

Proud to be a sponsor of the collaborative learning space.

Steven Wong from TeamBoard using nsquared make words for Windows 7 on his dual touch TeamBoard screen.

CowGoesMoo goes live!

2011-05-24T16:33:00.001-07:00

Our latest fun iOS app has just launched on the iTunes AppStore. For your iPod touch, iPhone or iPad.

CowGoesMoo lets you choose between 15 farm animals and hear the noises they make. this will keep the children (and adults) entertained for hours!

Get it from the AppStore.

nsquared education pack updates

2011-05-23T14:47:00.002-07:00

If you have been paying attention you will have noticed that the nsquared education pack website was updated 2 weeks ago. With the growth of the iPad and more schools starting to install Windows 7 touch screens we have been busy building our multi-user educational applications for both platforms.

Our iPad applications have recently all been upgraded. Now any new content we make available will synchronize with the iPad application the next time the application is run. We are creating new curriculum based content all the time and expect to have updates out each month with new activities.

A week of conferences

2011-05-22T20:20:00.000-07:00

Over the last few weeks we have been at a lot of conferences but last week was special. On Tuesday and Wednesday we were at the K-12 National Education Congress in Sydney with 3M, demonstrating our Windows 7 touch applications for education. Then on Friday we were at the Association of Independent Schools conference in the Hunter Valley where we presented a session called "Let's Talk, conversations around digital content". In this session we explained how we focus our efforts on building educational applications to enhance the conversations between students.
If you want to find out more about what we are doing please drop us a line and we can show you our educational applications.

We've moved!

2011-05-15T18:56:00.000-07:00

In the last few days our Sydney team has been busy moving in to our new office. Things are still a little hectic but we are getting settled in to our new home. It is good to have some more space to stretch out. We are looking forward to welcoming many of you into our new space in the coming months.
Our new address is:
suite 303, 75 King Street, Sydney, NSW, 2000.
You can call us on +61 2 9262 3386

Windows 7 Touch applications on 3M screen

2011-04-07T20:36:00.000-07:00

The dev team at nsquared has been busy working on the nsquared education pack for Windows 7 touch. The screen we have been using to test is the 3M multi-touch screen.
In this video we demonstrate some of the applications running on the 3M screen.

Engaging Education with touch

2011-04-07T03:34:00.000-07:00

We've just spent another three days out of the office at the CCA-EDUCAUSE 2011 conference at Darling Harbour. It was a great treat to be surrounded by people who's careers revolve around finding the most interesting and effective technology possible. It was an even bigger treat to be in contact with people who could see the magic of Surface. We forget how spoiled we are in being able to work with this amazing technology on a daily basis.
For us it was a chance to demonstrate our software for collaborative spaces using Microsoft Surface and slate Tablet PCs such as the Tega v2.
As a Microsoft Surface Strategic Partner, it's always good to be able to contribute to our partnership. Of course, nearly everyone wanted a new Surface table (how could they not) and perhaps the biggest 'wonder' point from most people who visited us was not just it's super responsiveness, but more importantly it's suitability for installation in collaborative spaces. I don't think we've ever seen so many eyes light up. It was an honour and treat to be able to part of the enlightenment.

A big day out in the Hotel Room of the Future

2011-03-14T01:38:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-07T20:31:00.000-08:00

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

2011-03-03T20:41:00.000-08:00

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!

ntask - leaner and faster.

2011-02-16T21:46:00.000-08:00

It still sports its simple good looks, but it's now faster. That means that by keeping track of your to-do list with ntask, you have even more time to do the things that need doing. We've heard that there are ongoing sync issues with Exchange 2003 and we're continuing to investigate while we make sure that functionality for more recent services remains up to date.

With the latest updates, we're happy to be able to offer enhanced synchronisation for Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft Sharepoint 2007, and Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft Sharepoint 2010. We've also fixed the feature that required you to enter a due date for your tasks. Due dates are no longer needed in order to register a task.

You asked, and we delivered (a better ntask).

Collaborative learning with Make Words for iPad.

2011-02-13T18:27:00.000-08:00

Created for one or two player interaction, the new nsquared Make Words for iPad helps learners with object recognition, recall and spelling skill development. We love that learners can play this game by themselves, with a parent, or with their siblings. We especially like that it encourages collaboration in a fun, competitive environment.

Collaborative learning is something that we're happy to see being highlighted more and more in the design of classroom learning experiences. To us, collaboration is a natural part of life and, not to put too blunt a point on it, has been one of the reasons that we humans have come to survive as a species as well as we have. We're also competitive animals. Sometimes it's purely for fun and often it's for survival:- plain and simple.

The bottom line is that we instinctively know that we're generally stronger when we band together to meet challenges, than if we go it alone. Collaboration allows us to share skills, knowledge and experience in order to take advantage of shared opportunities. It forces us to develop our communication skills and to be creative, which eventually increases the knowledge and approach of each and every one of the individuals in the group.

This is one of the reasons we loved Microsoft Surface so much when we were first introduced (and still do). It provides opportunities for un-interrrupted face to face learning and encourages collaboration. The dialogues that are part of the interactions never fail to surprise us in terms of content and complexity. Classroom learning has traditionally discouraged conversation, so it's great to see the change in focus.

iPad, with its generous screen size, touch screen interface, and ability to display and work in both landscape and portrait layouts, presents some similar opportunities, so we've been enjoying creating our apps for this clever interface. Our latest app, nsquared Make Words for iPad, has recently been released for download from the App Store and we couldn't be prouder. We've loved watching the interactions of our beta testers and we know that it will be a loved part of everyone's iPad app library. Enjoy.

Windows Phone 7 - Welcome back

2011-02-06T21:14:00.001-08:00

Most of you will know that we've loved mobile for many, many, years and that we've been actively involved for just as long. You'll probably also have noticed that while we were once very active in the Windows Mobile smartphone space, our focus has shifted to iPhone over the last couple of years. The launch of Windows Phone 7 now sees us back, dipping our toes in some relatively familiar waters. The scenery has changed, and we're excited to have a reason to come back!

To celebrate, we've launched Locus for Windows Phone 7. It's the Windows Phone version of our popular iPhone app, Locus, the original private posting app. It lets you control who you post your location to: - you can choose to post only to your Locus buddies, and even then only to selected people if that's what works, or you can add your location post to Facebook as well. It's completely up to you.

It's a great way to keep in touch with friends all over the world, without having to tell the whole world!

It's great for organising impromptu catch-ups with friends in the same town; and it's great for letting the people who care for you know where you are. There are plenty of benefits, most of which we didn't think of until we had the app up and running, but we're glad for them anyway.

So, for all of you running on the sparkly new Microsoft Windows Phone 7, you can now team up with your iPhone buddies who have Locus!

Enjoy.

iPad learning and fun with nsquared sticker book

2011-02-03T17:14:00.000-08:00

While the debates around whether or not iPad will become widely adopted as a standard piece of every educational tool kit, governments, universities and independents schools are voting with their wallets. Some are doing it on a small scale in order to trial and assess the benefits, and others are reported to be engaging in widespread adoption plans.

The case seems clear to us, and whether or not iPads become the newest technology to be incorporated into formal education settings, we're continuing to create and deliver educational apps for the market. We truly believe that touch, integrated with collaborative and competitive learning experiences, highly influences learning retention. While most of the population sees touch as a new innovation, and some see it as a gimmick, I think we're forgetting that touch and physical interaction with our learning environments is not only completely natural, it's also been a part of of our formal and informal learning processes for many years. Even if you take out foundational learning which requires looking at, picking up and manipulating physical objects e.g. basic building blocks, Duplo and Lego; it remains part of our formal learning experiences and information exchange to the highest levels when we use hand writing to record notes, annotate diagrams, sketch out ideas, and even use a keyboard to express ourselves. A note on keyboards and handwriting here - research has shown that learning is better when we use hand writing rather than a keyboard, so it seems we're on the right track with bringing touch back to learning. Our latest touch app to hit the iTunes iPad app store. nsquared sticker book is designed to develop numeracy, pattern matching and object recognition skills. Designed for one or two players, sticker book needs each player to collect the correct numbers of each sticker and place them into their own sticker book. In its initial release, the app ships with 7 themed activities. There are more coming soon, and we're looking forward to sharing them with you and finding out what you think of it.

Learning Money and Maths with nsquared coin swap

2011-01-27T02:27:00.000-08:00

Money is a central theme in our society, and understanding it is a useful life-skill to acquire. To add to the nsquared education pack, we've now got nsquared coin swap, ready to go. It's accompanied by an updated teacher tool, too. The app supports different currencies including Australian, UK, US and European Union (euro) coins so that it can be used in a number of different countries. No doubt there will be content packs to follow that will add to the range of currencies in the future. The aim of the game is to teach players to recognise currency denominations and their relative values. Designed for up to four players, the game challenges you to increase your funds by either swapping their coins with the amount on offer in the centre of the game board, or by keeping the coins you've already got. Take a quick look at the video below to get a better idea of what the team here has done.

iPads and education.

2011-01-24T15:10:00.000-08:00

Has anyone noticed the rise in numbers of slates in schools and homes lately? It seems the numbers are rising in schools and that families are also big users. While all the slates aren't iPads, a good proportion of them are. It's probably safe to say that the iPad has brought awareness of the benefits of the slate form factor to the fore. I'm pretty sure we reported Dr. Neil's excitement at being in the US on the day iPad was released. That excitement has only grown for the rest of us and it isn't contained to iPad. We've always loved the slate form factor, and have explored the capabilities of the devices for a few years now. The potential benefits are massive, particularly in education. Lately we've been putting our time into creating a new range of apps for iPad and Windows 7 touch devices. Our first two are designed for one or two participants, and they're designed to familiarise children with letters and numbers. With their parents, older siblings, or friends, they can put words and sums together and talk about what they're doing and learning. Because we wanted to keep things simple, we've named them simply, too. nsquared letters and nsquared numbers are both available in the App Store now, and we're looking forward to seeing our other apps become available for people to learn from.

nsquared ntask for iPad

2011-01-16T14:38:00.000-08:00

We are excited to announce that ntask has shipped in the Apple app store. We believe that ntask is the simplest and most gorgeous way for you to manage and organize your tasks. With ntask you can synchronize with your Microsoft Exchange tasks, or a Microsoft SharePoint task list. You can also use ntask as a standalone application.
Get it for your iPad now.

nsquared gem

2011-01-09T18:00:00.000-08:00

Want to spruce up your Microsoft Surface with a new look for 2011? Brighten it up with nsquared gem, a free attract app developed by the team here at nsquared to celebrate the announcement of Surface 2.0. And, if you ask nicely we'll even customise the app for you and include your company logo. Visit our web site to order your free copy of nsquared gem and find out how to get your new app customised for free.

Surface 2.0 is here and we are Ready.

2011-01-06T19:40:00.000-08:00

With today's joint announcement by Samsung and Microsoft that the next generation Surface device will be available this year, we can finally end our required silence on the topic of Surface 2.0.

It's been a privileged ride being part of the select group of Microsoft's Surface partners that have had access to early information as the product has gone through its development phases. It's also been a laughable one as we watched the rumour mill reach some dizzy heights with regards to some of the more outrageous claims around what Surface 2.0 would be.

The new form factor has a 40-inch screen, is only four inches thick and can be mounted vertically or horizontally. It employs Pixel Sense technology which is a camera-less vision system, and there is a major shift in pricing, at least in US dollars. We're hoping this shift transfers equitably around the globe, making it more viable for small businesses and education to benefit from the brilliant attributes of Surface that set it in a class all of its own.

The news from us for new and existing Surface customers around the world is that we're ready to provide advice and solutions for businesses that invest in themselves with purchases of Surface 2.0. We already have market-ready Surface 2.0 apps for the Business, Real Estate, Hospitality, Banking and Finance, Retail and Education markets, and look forward to delivering more amazing experiences for Surface 2.0. Microsoft tells us that that the Samsung SUR40 will be ready for market launch later this year, and we’re looking forward to being able to announce our new product range.

In the mean time, our existing Microsoft Surface customers can continue to benefit from our in-depth understanding of Surface’s unique capabilities, and our long term continuing relationship with the Surface product team.

Locus for iPad and iPhone

2010-12-21T13:59:00.000-08:00

We have been busy improving Locus for you to share your location with your friends and colleagues. Now available on both the iPhone and iPad, Locus will help you keep track of your buddies, as well as posting your location to Twitter and Facebook.
Get Locus for iPad.
Get Locus for iPhone.

Snap Snap for iPad

2010-12-20T17:59:00.001-08:00

Our iPhone memory game, Snap Snap, is now available for the iPad. Using your own photo library to play a game of concentration. Try and match your photos as fast as possible.
This release also updates the iPhone version to use your entire photo library.
Get it now and start playing Snap with your snaps.

nsync sky edition

2010-12-16T15:12:00.000-08:00

Adding to our range of beautiful nsync applications, the latest nsync sky edition allows you to clearly see the time of day for the different time zones you have selected.

More and more people from around the globe are teleconferencing so as to reduce travel for meetings. No matter where you are in the world, it's tough to try and work out the right time for a meeting that multiple people in vastly different locations need to attend. If this is something you need to do, you'll know how easy it is to get the timing wrong. nsync changes all that. Select the locations, find the best-fit time combination, and send an email with that selection to meeting attendees. Easy.

Updated Developing for Microsoft Surface book

2010-12-07T18:11:00.000-08:00

Our book, Developing for Microsoft Surface, is finally available in hardcopy from our friends at Lulu. We have also updated the cover of the book. You can now buy the book from the website.

nsquared at ninemsn's FFWD5 marketing summit

2010-11-17T18:24:00.000-08:00

Another good week at nsquared headquarters has been added to by the fact that a few of us have had the opportunity to show off our Surface expertise at ninemsn's digital marketing summit, FFWD5.

Throughout the day, ninemsn’s line-up of world class speakers shared their insights and predictions about digital media and marketing over the next five years. The invitation-only event was attended by senior marketing professionals, media agencies, and the creative community. They were all treated to a number of immersive and interactive experiences so that they could better understand the offerings available now and into the future. Surface® table-top computing experiences were available in several spaces throughout yesterday’s summit.

The nsquared Surface space in the Meet the Experts Arena drew plenty of interest from high-level marketers. Most of these talented successful people were attempting to understand the value of Surface over traditional touch screens. Being the experts that we are, they were quickly able to understand the value of the super-responsive, super multi-touch and collaborative medium that is Surface.

The positive responses we received regarding the nsquared business pack software were something that we’ve gotten used to, but never lose our enthusiasm for. When they could also see how they could use Surface to create engaging digital advertising experiences for their clients, and the customers of their clients, the marketers were even more interested. Surface has the power to provide immersive, collaborative experiences that leave people with long-lasting shared emotional connections to their experiences. This is a powerful tool for marketers who are constantly working to achieve branding superiority for their clients.

The fact that Surface can start, continue, or be part of an endpoint experience for online and mobile campaigns makes it an even more alluring proposition in our eyes, and we’re looking forward to engaging more with the marketing community.

We also had some fun at the event. Who could possibly resist the temptations of Luna Park on the way out??

nsync classic edition

2010-11-08T11:37:00.000-08:00

Some of the most beautiful applications on the iPad have a very natural feel and texture to them.

Applications such as Calendar and Notes are really a pleasure to use. We have taken this concept and brought you a new version of nsync with a rich dark wooden look and three classic clock styles to choose from, nsync classic edition. Now available in the app store.

Touch surfaces want to be horizontal

2010-10-20T18:45:00.000-07:00

In the nsquared development studio we have been saying for years that the advantage of touch, really shines on the table top and in the hand because of the orientation of a horizontal screen lends itself to far superior touch experiences.

This morning in his presentation of the new Mac OSX software Steve Jobs made the following statement:

“touch surfaces don’t want to be vertical, it gives great demo, but after a short period of time you start to fatigue and after an extended period of time your arm wants to fall off, it doesn’t work, it’s ergonomically terrible, touch surfaces want to be horizontal,…"

"this doesn't work"

Thank you, Steve and Apple for helping to clarify this point in such a concise manner. Let's hope more people listen to this and understand the benefits of horizontal touch surfaces.

Introducing the certified Surface applications for business.

2010-10-19T23:02:00.000-07:00

In this video Dr. Neil announces that nsquared has reached the milestone of having 10 applications certified for Microsoft Surface and shows us the 3 business applications in the nsquared business pack that are certified for Microsoft Surface.

10 out of 10!

2010-10-17T16:57:00.000-07:00

“We’re very proud of the fact that nsquared schedules is the 10th nsquared Microsoft® Surface® Application to receive the prestigious “Certified for Surface” award.” said nsquared’s Director, Dr. Neil Roodyn. “As far as we can tell, there are now 13 Surface applications that have been Certified for Surface, and 10 of them were created by the nsquared Surface development team in Sydney,” he continued.
We now have 10 applications certified for Microsoft Surface. This includes all of the applications in the nsquared business pack and all the applications in the nsquared education pack.
Having our applications certified for Microsoft Surface provides our customers with a level of assurance that we are delivering high quality software that provides a great Surface experience.
Now when you visit the Microsoft surface site to discover available applications, you can see that nsquared is the dominant player in this market.

Let's meet globally, in style

2010-10-12T20:11:00.000-07:00

Our iPad app, nsync, has had a facelift.

This is the iPad app to help you organize meetings with people around the world.
nsquared nsync lets you view the time in four different locations around the world.
You can then find a time that would suit people in some or all of those timezones.

Download it from the Apple AppStore

Dr. Neil speaks to CodeCast

2010-10-11T14:24:00.001-07:00

Last moth while Dr. Neil was in the USA he caught up with Ken Levy of CodeCast.

The interview turns into an extended conversation on a variety of topics including Microsoft Surface, multi-touch applications, Bing Translator and the Messenger Connect SDK.

These are all technologies that we at nsquared are very proud to have worked with Microsoft on helping to deliver.

You can download the podcast here.

nsquared education pack stars at TEDx Redmond

2010-09-20T19:02:00.000-07:00

This week some of us have been lucky enough to witness and be a part of the latest TEDx event in Redmond. TEDx events are a spin off from the well known TED events as a result of interest from a number of groups in hosting their own TED like events. TEDx this week was organised by a young lady who could possibly be the world's youngest teacher. Adora Svitak is 12 years old and is a passionate and accomplished teacher of reading and writing skills. The event that she organised, TEDx Redmond, focused on technology in education and the future of education.

As one of the world's leading software development teams for Microsoft Surface, we were delighted to have been invited to attend. The bonus for us? Our educational apps got another good workout and once again proved their worth and position in the market.

It might be our imaginations, but it seems that we've had an unusual rise in the number of enquiries for our new

education pack early this week, and we're thinking it's because of the great feedback from TEDx. The software is intuitive to use, but requires that users to engage with it. They focus on the development of literacy and numeracy skills, but also have a number of cross curricular benefits.

Schools and public libraries are currently showing the greatest levels of interest and commit

ment.

To find out more about the nsquared education pack for Microsoft Surface you can visit http://nsquarededucationpack.com/ or give us a call on +61 2 9233 5355.

The nsquared education pack is live.

2010-09-06T00:41:00.000-07:00

Today we're proud to announce the release of the nsquared education pack for Microsoft Surface.

The nsquared education pack for Microsoft Surface is the first of the nsquared educational series. It focuses on providing highly interactive learning experiences that are designed to enhance young students’ attention and retention rates. Game-based learning is acknowledged as an extremely effective teaching approach and most of the seven nsquared education pack activities utilise this method. While the activities are designed to enhance literacy and numeracy skills, students learn to manage themselves in collaborative and competitive environments when they participate.

Teachers who want to match the activities to their current curriculum content can easily customise the activities. Each education pack is supplied with the nsquared teacher tool that enables teachers to create and change content for the activities using their PCs.

The nsquared education pack is supported by a dedicated web site. “As of ourlaunch day today, there are already a number of free content packs ready for teachers to download so that they can easily change the content.” said Dr. Neil. Teachers or library administrators can find out more and download the available content packs from the web site.

This week Dr. Neil and the team on the ground in the UK are excited to be on the road taking Surface and the nsquared education pack to a number of schools in England and Wales. More updates will be provided as the week continues.

Surface Business Pack has Shipped!

2010-08-04T22:01:00.000-07:00

We've shipped again! This time we're ready to start selling our Surface Business Pack.

The pack is designed specifically for use with the magic that is Microsoft Surface. It's an easy-to-install three-app pack that is designed to help businesses increase the results they get from their on-task time, and reduce losses from duplication of effort. nsquared thoughts, nsquared documents and nsquared schedules are all apps that we've been using to help our team get the most out of meetings and workshops for months now. We thought others might like them, too, so we bundled them up and made it a no-brainer. To find out more about this neat suite of apps, you can visit the web site.

Locus version 2 has shipped

2010-07-26T14:48:00.000-07:00

Amongst all the buzz around location sharing, twitter showing your location and privacy of your information, nsquared proudly presents version 2 of Locus. Locus lets you share your location with your friends when you want and allows you hide your location when you choose. You can now share with the world via twitter, or share only with select people in your friends list. Putting you in charge of what you share, when you share it and with whom you are sharing.

Find out more about Locus.

SnapSnap, another iPhone app released

2010-07-11T20:49:00.000-07:00

Play Snap with your snaps!

This version of "Concentration" lets you use the pictures you've taken with your iPhone to enjoy this long-time favourite game! Minutes or hours of entertainment in the palm of your hand! Get it now from the AppStore .

The release of iOS4 enabled us to start using the photos in your phone. We see this as a big step in the right direction, enabling applications to access user generated content on the device can make each experience unique to the user.

Surface Business Pack

2010-07-08T14:31:00.000-07:00

The nsquared Surface Business Pack consists of three applications designed to enhance the conversation taking place at the Surface unit. The applications are documents, schedules and thoughts. (Thoughts isn’t shown in the video.)

The nsquared documents application allows you to explore and discuss documents being displayed on the screen, these documents can be Word, Excel or Powerpoint files, loaded from a usb key or from a network drive.

Common questions heard at the meeting room table revolve around the schedules of the attendees. The nsquared schedules application presents the Microsoft Exchange calendar of for each attendee as their business card is placed on the Surface. New meetings can be created by simply placing business cards in the center of the screen.

The third application (not shown in in the video) is nsquared thoughts. The nsquared thoughts application enables participants to sketch out their thoughts on a blank canvas and then manipulate shapes and images to organize their thoughts.

These applications can be purchased individually or as a pack, contact us to find out more.

nsync 1.2 adds clock styles

2010-07-06T21:03:00.000-07:00

A new version of our favourite iPad application for organizing meetings in multiple time zones, nync, has just shipped.
nsync 1.2 for the Apple iPad now provides support for multiple clock styles.

After support for a larger number of locations, one of the most requested features was different clock styles.

Now you can simply tap twice on a clock to display a choice of clock styles.

nsquared support for Windows Live SDK

2010-07-05T04:50:00.000-07:00

Once again nsquared has been hard at work supporting our friends in Redmond, delivering a series of samples, videos and getting started guides to help developers learn how to use the Messenger Connect Windows Live SDK. Check out the links below and you too can start building applications that connect to Microsoft's vast social networking infrastructure.

Over 500 million people love and use Windows Live services such as Messenger, SkyDrive, and Hotmail. Request and invitation through the following link:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windowslive/default.aspx

Windows Live Messenger Connect is a collection of APIs and experiences that enable users to communicate, share, and connect with their Messenger friends and Windows Live contacts;

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff749458.aspx

Windows Live Messenger Connect Code Samples - here you will find code samples to help you learn building Messenger Connect applications; http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/messengerconnect

We hope you enjoy learning from our work and we'll update you with more as it happens!

nsync Version 1.1 Release

2010-06-20T20:32:00.001-07:00

You asked and we delivered. The first version of nsync focused on time zones, rather than locations, and we know this caused confusion for some of our great customers, who wrote to tell us. In response, we've found some time and added more than 500 new locations for you all. Here's what one of our Version 1 customers has to say:

Version 1.1 takes this app to greatness! - ★★★★★

by Jim Hays - Version 1.1 - 18 June 2010

As the CEO of a global consulting firm, I am constantly fighting to find time for my clients, my people, and me to meet. The 1.0 version did lack major cities, so although I found the comments on the earlier version overly harsh, I can understand their frustration. With the new 1.1 update that included over 500 new cities, this is now an essential tool for me. Give it a try. It is simple, elegant, and useful if you are struggling with how to get out of time zone hell.

nsquared Surface at World Expo

2010-06-17T20:32:00.000-07:00

We know we've already told you about our Surface apps for Liverpool University's Ness Gardens, and how we love the fact that they're being enjoyed at World Expo. We loved this new video of our apps and thought you might, too - so we're telling you again. The video's below for you to take a quick look at.

We're hiring!

2010-06-16T22:18:00.000-07:00

Yep, you read that right. :-) We're on the lookout for a talented and passionate digital designer and 2-3 software developers with programming flair. We'd like to have you join us as soon as possible.

If you're into working with the most up to date, latest technology (some of it not yet publicly released), and you're passionate about learning, we'd love to hear from you.

To find out more about us, visit our web site before sending your CV to jobs@nsquaredsolutions.com.

Real Estate gets to the Surface

2010-06-13T15:59:00.000-07:00

A quick post today to bring you up to speed on some of our latest Surface adventures. We've all known for a long time that Surface is suited to nearly every industry there is out there. And slowly, people are catching on. Recently, the good people from Console (a high profile real estate software solutions provider) visited our offices to find out more. We had a good afternoon in our dev studio, showing them around Surface. They loved it so much, they filmed it and got some hot tips from our Dr. Neil. With Surface being so new in Australia, it's really good to see that people and industries are finally starting to explore it. You can check out the video to find out more here. Alternatively you can read Console's "NewsReal" to find out more of what they think.

Cheers!

Dr. Neil: World's First Surface MVP

2010-06-02T18:58:00.000-07:00

By now you'll probably have seen our new look. It IS nice to have some "new clothes" and to be able to express ourselves to the world in a more fun and accurate way :)

While we've been busy with getting our new look 'up and dancing', we've also been burning the candle late into the evenings and weekends with other projects, too. Many of them we'll be able to tell you about in the coming weeks, but one of them in particular is our work with Microsoft Surface. We love the magic that is the Surface platform, and the opportunities that lie ahead and now. As a result of our continuing Surface adventures, we're very proud to be able to announce that the very first Surface MVP Award has been granted to our Director, Dr. Neil!

We know he'll be very pleased with the announcement and hope to be able to talk with him in the next 24 hours to find out just what he has to say about it. For now, from the team here at nsquared: a big "Thank You" to the team at Microsoft for your recognition of our continuing efforts and passion when it comes to Surface.

nsync is Live!

2010-05-31T20:30:00.000-07:00

Dr. Neil got his iPad within hours of landing in New York last month. We knew he'd been looking forward to the moment for some time beforehand, but we didn't realise just how much.

True to his normal form he began experimenting and finding his way around the platform almost immediately: and then the coding started. Somehow, in between meetings in Redmond, London, Paris, and Amsterdam; Surface training; eating; and plane flights over the last 2-3 weeks, he put together our first iPad app "nsync" and submitted it to the App Store for approval.

When asked about his speedy and enthusiastic response to the new platform, Dr. Neil said "Well, it's massive that the iPad has no clock, alarm or work times functions, and it shocked me so much that I built my own!" He loves his new iPad and we're sure his MacBook Air is getting less and less attention these days. We also know that he, of all people, understands the challenges of constantly operating in different time zones. nsync is a great response to simplifying the challenges and we're looking forward to finding out how many other challenges we can solve or simplify for those around us. Cheers!

nsquared Makes Headlines on the Microsoft Surface Blog

2010-05-26T16:57:00.000-07:00

You must be wondering how nsquared can create so many apps for Surface while still managing to pour out all its other creative apps for multiple platforms. Well, you can keep on wondering... We've done it again! nsquared is making headlines on the Microsoft Surface Blog. Our amazing work is being recognised, and our recently released Hospitality and Retail Surface apps Tourist Table and nsquared Concierge are making big waves.

The excitement just keeps on growing and our software is eagerly anticipated around the world. All enquiries can be directed to enquires@nsquaredsolutions.com so feel free to get in touch and ask how you can get our apps, or simply say "hi"!

Our iPhone Translator Talks!

2010-05-12T19:48:00.000-07:00

Pssst! We've just heard that our latest iPhone app, Translation Station has been released on the iTunes App Store today, and it'll be free until June 1!

Translation Station2 talks! You asked and we've answered. We know it's hard to pronounce languages just by reading them, so we took advantage of the translation engine's speech offerings. Powered by the same machine translation engine as Microsoft's Bing Translator, Translation Station will translate 31 languages in writing, and will even read the translation back to you in six languages. A talking translator is pretty cool, but the coolest most clever thing, is that when the translation engine updates (by adding written or spoken languages), so will the App. Automatically. No need to update it through the App Store!

It's free for now, but from June 1, you'll need to purchase it, so download yours now!

iDrinkblood goes live!

2010-05-04T23:14:00.001-07:00

Didn't we say that we had some exciting news to share? Just when you thought it was safe to go out at night again.... nsquared’s “iDrinkblood” was released on the iPhone App Store. Commissioned by one of our Agency partners, this app really shows off nsquared’s expertise as one of the best iPhone app developers in the world. nsquared developed iDrinkblood and partnered up with US Sydney to produce this remarkable piece of digital marketing. We know our clients are happy, and we think you'll be happy too. See the official video of iDrinkblood on YouTube :

Download iDrinkblood from the iPhone App Store today and start drinking.... iDrinkblood will leave you shivering under your pillows! Now where's my pointy teeth?

nsquared Surface montage

2010-04-21T18:54:00.000-07:00

Well things are certainly heating up at nsquared HQ! We've had a load of developments. Our new nsquared Surface montage has just been released showing the exciting work and practical apps we've been building for Surface. The video was shot at Microsoft in Redmond in the US while Dr Neil was continuing his worldwide Surface training program.

You can check out our Surface montage below;

As usual the nsquared office in Sydney is buzzing with development projects and we're pretty excited about new projects that are coming up. We'll keep you updated as soon as we can with our new projects so stay tuned....

nsquared Surface goes to School

2010-03-16T18:28:00.001-07:00

It seems the weeks are getting busier here, whether or not our unit is the studio or not. Last week our Surface device went back to school, loaded up with our Surface Education Pack Apps.

It spent the week in a classroom filled with very excited 6-8 year olds who dubbed it the "Cooperation Table". While they did have to learn to cooperate, it seemed to us that it was a lesson learned very quickly. From our initial observations, we confirmed once again that Surface definitely has a place in Australian classrooms. Its social design encourages cooperative and collaborative interaction. It also provides a very safe and effective place for competitive learning activities.

We are very grateful for, and lucky to have the support of Curl Curl North Public School Teacher, Gretel Watson. Gretel is an extremely passionate and dedicated teacher with a talent for innovation, so she was happy to be able to trial Surface and provide valuable feedback to us. We were also strongly supported by Sue Beveridge, who drives the Connected Classroom's programme of the NSW DET. Thanks to Sue's support and links, we'll shortly be able to post a video of action from last week here, so stay tuned.

nsquared at the Gartner IT Summit

2010-03-04T18:24:00.000-08:00

At the launch of Microsoft® Surface® early last month, we had the opportunity to show off some of the apps we've been creating for the Education market. Since then, one of those has been given the honour of being only the third Surface application in the world to bear the Certified for Microsoft Surface badge.

Late last week, Microsoft asked us to supply some business-focused apps for display on their Surface unit at the Gartner Business Intelligence and Information Management Summit that was held on Tuesday and Wednesday this week at the Sydney Exhibition centre. We provided them with some ideas that we’ve been working on and that were ready to demo. We have other projects we’re working on in this space and hope to show you more in the coming months. For now, on display at the Garner conference were:

1. nsquared Schedules – uses tagged business cards to view and share the details of your exchange account calendars. It's also designed to allow you to reschedule, follow up, delete, and create new appointments all with the touch of a finger (or two).
2. nsquared Office Images allows you to view, share and discuss business information created in Word, PowerPoint and Excel documents using Surface. Great for the Board Room or for international Board meetings with connected Surface Tables.
3. nsquared Stock Exchange – a visual application that lets you view your share portfolio in real time and respond to changes in the market.

Take a look and let us know what you think!

MakeWords 1.0 is certified by Microsoft®!

2010-02-24T23:11:00.000-08:00

Great news - the results are in, and nsquared is on the podium!

After a short wait, we're very proud to be able to say that our latest app, MakeWords 1.0, is certified by Microsoft®, as part of the Microsoft® Surface® certification program. We're told that to date it is one of only three (3) Microsoft Surface applications worldwide to receive certification.

The next thing we're waiting for is to see it posted on the official Microsoft Surface site.

There are more plans for "MakeWords 1.0" and its friends, and we'll be letting you know how they go as soon as we have more to show. In the mean time we're looking forward to being able to share MakeWords 1.0 with as many people as possible.

About MakeWords 1.0
It seems everyone who sees MakeWords 1.0 on the Surface device is instantly captivated, including "grown ups". We designed it as an educational app for lower to mid-primary school students as a fun way to help build literacy skills. Once we'd finished sketching it out, we realised that it provided far more in lessons than a spelling test ever could. Better than that, it's far more fun. On top of the spelling lesson, students develop better object recognition skills, and learn how to participate in an environment that is both collaborative and competitive.
As with all high quality Surface Applications, MakeWords 1.0 capitalises on the unique qualities of Surface to deliver far more than initially meets the eye, and we're looking forward to bringing more fantastic Surface Apps to the business world.

Microsoft Surface is available in Australia

2010-02-11T05:58:00.000-08:00

Dr. Neil and Shirralee are happy that Surface is now available in Australia. If you want to buy a Microsoft Surface solution you can contact the nsquared Sydney office.

nsquared talks about our latest Surface developments

2010-01-21T14:34:00.000-08:00

Dr Neil and nsquared's new Business Development Manager Shirralee Willis sit down and talk about Surface. nsquared has the newest Surface unit in Sydney and we're enjoying sharing it with our clients and potential clients...

LiveMeeting for your Calendars!!

2010-01-12T20:43:00.000-08:00

Add this to your Calendar for 22 February 2010:"Developing For Microsoft Surface" LiveMeeting.

On Feb 22nd, at 5pm PST, you can join an online LiveMeeting to discuss Surface Software development and learn from leading trainer Dr. Neil Roodyn for free.

Dr. Neil is the global Surface development trainer, and author of the only Surface Development book available. Don't miss your opportunity to learn more about developing for this unique and powerful technology!

To attend the LiveMeeting, simply request an invitation by sending an email to SurfaceSessions @ nsquaredsolutions.com with your name in the Subject line.

If you have any questions you would like answered in the LiveMeeting please include these in the body of the email requesting invitation.

We look forward to hearing from you shortly!

Interview with Dr. Neil Roodyn about the book " Developing for Microsoft Surface"

2009-12-21T05:08:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago Dr.Neil Roodyn from nsquared released the first book about developing applications for Microsoft Surface.

At nsquared weve had a lot of questions regarding the book and we thought it would be nice to do an interview with the author.

The movie below gives an answer to the questions:
Why did Dr. Neil write the book?
Who did he write it for? Just for developers? Or is it for designers too?
Why should anyone get a copy of the book?
Why is it published as an ebook only?

Where can you get read a preview or get your own copy of the book?
The answer is here: nsquaredsolutions.com/surfacebook

Locus in Action

2009-12-20T23:02:00.000-08:00

In this short video Dr. Neil shows you how to use Locus. It is simple, fast and fun. Find out where your friends are today with Locus.

Students from Pre-University College in Rotterdam talk about Surface Development

2009-12-17T05:44:00.000-08:00

Freena Eijffinger from nsquared is a teacher at the Pre University College in Rotterdam. She has a big group of students who are divided into 5 project groups with their own Surface application to build.

In this movie 2 groups give us an introduction about their Demo Surface application for Healthcare 2.0 in the Netherlands. First we hear "4Left" about their idea for children with a setback in development and second we hear "JYJIM" about their idea for helping people with Autism.

In the second movie 2 groups give us an introduction about their Demo Surface application for Healthcare 2.0 in the Netherlands. First we hear "PZN" about their idea for people with Schizophrenia and second we hear "No Meds" idea for helping doctors and patients within hospitals clarify certain problems.

In the third movie the last group "Delta Development" gives us an introduction about their Demo Surface application for their Surface version of the game "tower defense". The movie ends with a short overview of the classroom where the students are working.

nsquared at the LA Car Show with Lexus

2009-12-10T15:28:00.000-08:00

At nsquared we recently helped Lexus show off their new hybrid technology by using our hybrid technologies. Lexus needed an interactive kiosk that would engage its existing customers and hook new ones. We teamed with design and concept studio, Spinifex, to deliver some outright high tech, hands-on goodness to match the image of Lexus’ progressive concept car that they plan to have in production for next year.

Using a Windows 7 Touch kiosk paired with a Nikon D90 camera, we enabled consumers to contribute to the Photosynth project dedicated entirely to the Lexus Concept vehicle, and to decide the colours of the production cars.

The kiosks allow attendees of the car show to get a great feel for the car by using the Nikon D90s to capture the car’s best features. The pictures are then uploaded to the synth. The same pictures were sent by email and shared with friends and family, directly or through social networking sites. By all accounts the kiosks and interactive app took a beating that no one could have planned for, and it came out shining: more zero-defect software that has resulted in highly engaged consumers and high quality leads for Lexus! Take a look at one of the many Lexus Synths here.

Photosynth is a spectacular technology allowing digital pictures to be collected and compiled into stunning 3D experiences. The 3D experiences can be navigated and explored at amazing levels of detail! You can even create your own . We’re looking for more ways to use this fascinating technology to encourage collaboration and engagement in the very near future.
If you have an idea, please drop us a note.

Freena's Acer Aspire One reviewed

2009-12-08T00:07:00.000-08:00

Freena, our Marketing & Sales Manager at nsquared Europe, won an Acer Aspire One netbook at TechEd Berlin.

She has been using the device for a month now, here is her review.

Specifications of the netbook:

1.6GHz N270 Intel Atom Processor
2 GB DDR2 533MHz
Windows 7 Ultimate
10.1" glossy LED backlit display
220GB Hard Drive
802.11b/g Atheros Wireless
Multicardreader (Pro, XD, SD,multitimediacard Sony memory)
SD expansion slot
3USB ports
Built in camera in display
6-Cell 23Wh battery

Design
"When looking at the design of my netbook, I find it very sleek with its softly rounded edges and a smooth glossy surface. The look is fairly basic, but it I like it like that. Glossy plastic is found on the top of the screen cover, as well as around the entire LCD. At times the reflective boarder does get on your nerves if you are in a brightly lit room with many sources of glare."

Hardware
"Build quality looks solid for a subnotebook and the construction feels strong enough to handle being tossed around inside a bookbag without much concern for its safety (well apart from the glossy surfaces). Holding it while it is folded in half is similar to holding a hard cover book, having a good amount of rigidity to resist flex and compression. The screen cover feels especially strong, which is important for protecting the relatively fragile LCD panel. I do have to say I bought a neoprene sleevecover for protection. Cause my previous netbook has had 4 new displays due to cracks…Better be safe then sorry..."

Touchpad
"I especially liked the multi-gesture touchpad! It's very Iphone-like and easy to use when designing and developing."

Performance
"My netbook came with1GB of memory, but I found that a bit too slow. So I bought a 2GB card and now its very speedy!"

Conclusion
For those looking for an even lower cost budget netbook, the Acer Aspire One is a worthy candidate to think about. This computer has solid build quality to handle being tossed around in a backpack or purse, and modest performance to handle common software applications with ease. Battery life is the best with the 6-cell and is highly recommended. While it is not the easiest netbook to upgrade, it does offer a large storage drive to start with and an SDHC expansion slot.

Pros
• Good performance (when upgraded to 2GB memory)
• Dual card readers
• Responsive multi-gesture touchpad

Cons
• Hard to take apart for upgrades
• Poor sound (without headphones)
• LED display has poor viewing in brightly lighted rooms or outside in the sun

World's First Surface Book Released!

2009-12-02T19:59:00.001-08:00

Here at nsquared we've released the world's first Surface development book. Developing for Microsoft Surface has been created and compiled from the many training sessions delivered the world over by Dr. Neil, and focuses on crafting exceptional user experiences for Surface.

Guiding its readers on the complete journey from the initial unpacking of a Microsoft Surface unit, to the satisfying delivery of their first Surface application, Developing for Microsoft Surface deals mostly with the ideation of Surface application design. Along the way it is filled with plenty of hands on labs and practical exercises to help readers explore the adventure that is Microsoft Surface and hone their application development skills for this platform.

The book (rrp US $49.95) is available now in handy e-book format at the special introductory price of US $45.00. Click on the link below to get started now.

Freena and Dennis talk about Surface at Codecamp 2009

2009-11-23T11:24:00.000-08:00

Last weekend the dutch software developer network (SDN) organized their annual codecamp. Keywords: code, codesharing and cool stuff. An event for developers by developers. Nsquared with huge experience building Surface applications had Freena Eijffinger,marketing & salesmanager Europe,do a session together with Dennis Vroegop from Headcandy about Microsoft surface.

Dr. Neil and Hugo Ortega's favorite devices

2009-11-23T09:50:00.001-08:00

If youve been following our blog and videostream, you know that Dr. Neil and Hugo Ortega talk about technical devices a lot. How to develop software and how to use them. But what type of device do they use theirselves? What are their favorite devices? Find out in this weeks video!

First surface on primary school The Netherlands

2009-11-20T09:58:00.001-08:00

Today primary school "The Clipper" in Rotterdam (The Netherlands) received their first Surface. The Surface will be at the school for a trial period. After three weeks the school will decide if and in what way they will embed Surface in their regular program.

The Surface will be part of the new media-library, and the children welcomed the new "computer of the future" with drums.

Together with company "Onwijs", nsquared provided the schools' Surface unit with educational applications.

Freena, our marketing & salesmanager, was present and made this video:

MSSpringboard interviews Freena about Windows 7

2009-11-18T10:46:00.000-08:00

Freena was at TechEd EMEA where she was interviewed by NGN's Alex de Jong for MSSpringboard. Alex wants to know what Freena's favourite features are in Windows 7....

The interview is one out of several interviews, to watch the entire video visit the windows teamblog.

Dr.Neil and Kate Gregory talk about C++

2009-11-12T04:24:00.000-08:00

Dr.Neil was at TechEd EMEA 09 and had an interview with Kate Gregory about C++, present and future.

Interview with Brian Keller about software testing

2009-11-12T04:22:00.000-08:00

Dr. Neil and Brian Keller talk about about software testing within Visual Studio 2010 at TechEd EMEA 09.

Dr. Neil and Vikram Dendi talk about Translator

2009-11-11T02:50:00.000-08:00

In this second part of the conversation between Dr. Neil and Vikram Dendi, you will discover more of the details of the Microsoft Translator. Vikram and Dr. Neil explain how to add translation to your application or web site.

Dr. Neil introduces Vikram Dendi from Microsoft Research

2009-11-11T02:40:00.000-08:00

At TechEd Europe 2009 Dr. Neil sat down with Vikram Dendi from Microsoft Research. In this first part of the interview Vikram introduces himself and explains how he got to this point.

nsquared is proud to present the 2nd out of 2 new apps from After-Mouse that nsquared helped build with design consulting & control development

2009-11-11T02:00:00.000-08:00

It's a retail application for Internity, you will see that it is probably one of the best retailer applications you could see and it is probably the first application that is really multi users and where two differents users can make two differents searches.

nsquared is proud to present 1 out of 2 new apps from After-Mouse that nsquared helped build with design consulting & control development

2009-11-11T01:56:00.000-08:00

Its an application for Groupe New IM:a Real estate constructor and you will see that it's the first application in the world that handles 3D view of buildings where you can, see buildings, visit appa...rtments and even move and open objets inside the appartments in the 3D world with your finger.

Talk about Digital Ink and Tablet PC

2009-11-04T23:48:00.000-08:00

In this weeks show Dr. Neil and Hugo Ortega from Tegatech talk about digital ink and Tablet PC's vs touch screens. Find out what they think.

nsquared at TechEd EMEA 9-13 november Berlin

2009-11-04T05:42:00.000-08:00

Both Dr. Neil and Freena will be at Microsoft TechEd EMEA in Berlin next week. Find out what they are doing there.

Are you our new developer?!

2009-11-02T11:02:00.000-08:00

In this episode Dr. Neil and Freena talk about recruiting developers for nsquared.

New at nsquared: Freena

2009-11-02T10:58:00.000-08:00

In this episode Dr. Neil interviews Freena Eijffinger, the newest nsquared teammember

Ultra Mobile PC or smartphone?

2009-10-25T15:05:00.000-07:00

Dr. Neil and Hugo Ortega sit down in the nsquared studio to answer the big question; why do I need a UMPC when I have smartphone?
Not surprisingly Tegatech's director Hugo is batting for the UMPC and has some interesting things to say that may mean the end of the smartphone is the future.

After-Mouse partnership; Surface in French retail stores

2009-10-21T14:56:00.000-07:00

At nsquared we are very pleased to announce that Internity, a European leader in telephony and multimedia products announced the first public launch of Microsoft® Surface® in Europe.

For the first rollout, five points of sale in France will each have one Surface unit: Marseille, Plan de Campagne, Narbonne, Toulouse Gramond, Evry and Lyon Part Dieu. The Surface application will allow one or several users to interact directly with the interface with a simple touch. Users will be able to explore all of the products and compare them, access detailed specifications (with photos, 3D images, videos and related products), navigate the Internity website and even select their next purchases with their membership card before checking out.

The software running on the Surface units was built by After-Mouse with help from the nsquared technology team in Sydney.

More info...

Windows 7 with touch and Tablet PC

2009-10-20T15:18:00.000-07:00

It seems that Tegatech's Hugo couldn't wait to get back to the nsquared studio in Sydney and start talking to Dr. Neil about Windows 7 and what it means for mobile touch and Tablet PC.

New series on mobile and touch technologies

2009-10-19T15:32:00.000-07:00

In a new series of videos, Dr. Neil is pleased to welcome Hugo Ortega, director of Tegatech, into the nsquared offices to kick off a new series of videos on touch and mobile technologies.

Super-Realism in Education with Technology

2009-10-18T14:23:00.000-07:00

Dr. Neil and Maridee sit down to discuss the topic of super-realism. Learn how the application of the concept of super-realism helps bring knowledge alive to students. Understand the latest technologies that allow for super-real experiences. Semblio, Surface, and MultiPoint are discussed in this enlightening video.

Engagement and Experience in Education

2009-10-11T15:13:00.000-07:00

Watch as Dr. Neil and Maridee discuss the importance of the “suspension of disbelief” in computing and education. Uncover the benefits of a seamless digital environment to students. Students learn easily through play. See how Surface, Semblio, and MultiPoint can contribute to an ever evolving educational environment.

Friday Fun Theory

2009-10-08T15:00:00.001-07:00

At nsquared we love seeing the output of social experiments such as this one in Sweden where they turned a stair case into a piano. The aim was to find out if making the stairs more fun would draw people away from the escalators.

Touch meets mouse

2009-10-07T14:55:00.000-07:00

There is some really interesting work coming out of Microsoft Research on the hybrid scenarios we discuss in our NUI paper. The Mouse 2.0 project is one of these, combining the concept of a mouse with multi-touch and gesture recognition. We recommend you watch the video if you don't have time to read the paper.

It should be remembered that this is all still purely research. Do not rush down to the local computer store to buy one of these!

Do you glow?

2009-10-06T14:26:00.000-07:00

We released the new version of Locus last week on the Apple AppStore.
This week we have released an extra online feature. You can now track where people are posting from Locus on a Silverlight map.
Can you see your glow?
Can you see the glow from your Locus friends?

Integrative and Cross Curriculum learning with technology

2009-10-05T14:27:00.000-07:00

Join Dr. Neil and Maridee in the nsquared office in Sydney. Today they talk about how cross-disciplinary education benefits students. Uncover the types of technology that teachers can use to deliver education across multiple curriculums simultaneously. See just how easy this has become through recent technologies such as Surface, Semblio, and MultiPoint.

Are you Awesome?

2009-10-01T21:53:00.000-07:00

Do you believe that technology can make this world a better place?
Do you believe that it's possible, through the intelligent use of software, to improve the lives of millions?
We do.

We

are world leading Surface developers
work with Microsoft Research
are especially active in the Training and Education market sectors
develop for both Mac and Windows platforms

What about you?

We're looking for passionate, talented developers who are keen to push the boundaries, because that's what we do every day, on every level.

WARNING
Not for the faint of heart. If you want to be part of something huge, we want to hear from you. Get in touch to discuss the opportunities

Play SnapSnap!

2009-09-30T18:00:00.000-07:00

Play a new working memory game featuring your own photographs! nsquared's SnapSnap for iPhone is now available.

Test and improve your memory with this fun application on the go. The game automatically mixes up photos already on your phone with a simple shake of the wrist. Try SnapSnap today from the App Store!