nsquared maps can read GeoRSS feeds

Did you know....... GeoRSS feeds can be displayed in nsquared maps.

GeoRSS feeds are a great way to include location information for web based data. Each location can have associated text and image data, so a GeoRSS feed can provide information on the map about each point.

The admin tool provided with nsquared maps allows you to add the data from any GeoRSS feed to the maps displayed on your digital tables.

Some examples of where we have seen this used are:

• Real estate agents provide all the properties for sale in a GeoRSS feed that can then be plotted on the map.
• Nation wide retailers provide a GeoRSS feed of all of their store locations to display on the map
• Emergency services provide a GeoRSS feed of incidents as they happen, these incidents can be seen as they occur on the map
• Photographers use GeoRSS to add location information to all of the images they store online. The images can then be displayed on the map.
• A manufacturer's support team uses a GeoRSS feed to provide information on all of the support calls that require a site visit. The information about each call can be displayed on the map at the correct location.

With nsquared maps you can easily add the GeoRSS information to the map on your large interactive touch screen with no programming. Simply add the URL of the web feed to the admin tool and configure the way you'd like the data to be displayed.

Find out more about nsquared maps here

5 Reasons Why Libraries Love Digital Tables

At nsquared we believe that technology can sometimes be very isolating, focusing too much on attention on personal, single user devices. 

We are creating a future where shared screen technology will become part of communal spaces. These spaces will be enhanced with interfaces like digital tables to create shared experiences. 

Since we started selling software for digital tables 5 years ago we have seen a steady adoption of digital tables in local libraries. The libraries are using the digital tables as way of bringing people from the community together, to learn, explore information and collaborate. We have put together a couple of case studies of libraries around world, you can read how Sunnyvale public library is using their digital table, to engage children, and find out what Toowoomba City Library is doing with their table to engage the community.

Libraries love digital tables because they:

1. Enrich visitor interactions

2. Bring people together with digital content

3. Encourage collaborative learning and exploration

4. Provide and interactive display of library information & services

5. Meet the future technology needs of their community

Digital tables such as the Samsung SUR40 with Microsoft PixelSense bring people together to communication, collaborate and connect - it is the most advanced, immersive experience of digital communication. 

Find out more information on innovative local libraries by checking our our latest newsletter here or emailing us at enquiries@nsquaredsolutions.com 

Our Story, Our Goal

nsquared is a leading edge development company that specialises in creating multi-user, massive multi-touch software for digital tables. We pride ourselves on standing out from the crowd by delivering unique, innovative and highly functional off-the-shelf products. Our customers can be found across a wide variety of vertical market sectors and backgrounds.

We have one ambitious, straightforward goal; to get people talking and collaborating together again to move the world forward, by putting digital tables everywhere. 

Our goal motivates us to design and build robust applications that work seamlessly in 360 degree, collaborative environments across a variety of platforms. We already have a number of amazing, forward thinking clients in business, education, government and hospitality that are embracing the vision and using our products to enhance and improve their spaces.

Each of our products is thoughtfully designed to stimulate conversation, encourage collaboration and create deep, long-lasting connections with people. Our customers recognize this and choose us because our software empowers them with the tools that make their content more meaningful.

nsquared is Australia’s only Microsoft Premier Partner for PixelSense and one of seven Premier Partners around the globe. nsquared has an extensive global footprint and our software can be found across the world in the Unites States, United Kingdom, Europe and Australia.

Get ahead of the curve and ask us how nsquared products can take your organization to the cutting edge today. Email us - enquiries@nsquaredsolutions.com  

Bringing Minority Report to Your Meeting Room

The first thing that comes to mind for most people when we explain what we do is, “You mean like Minority Report?”, our response is usually mixed.

When Minority Report came out in 2002, it set a precedent for the concept of future computing. In this scene, Tom Cruise is seen depicting manipulating digital content on an interactive screen through a series of remote hand gestures.

As we work with leading edge technology we often become associated with films such as this, which is great because it provides an initial context, but the interactive gesture computing we do is not science fiction.

At nsquared we believe the future of computing is in digital tabletop solutions. In the next few years digital tables will be found in common meeting space areas. We are excited by this vision and our goal to make this technology a practical reality and bring businesses into the future.

Our multi-touch, multi-user products are cutting edge and many of our customers are beginning to implement our solutions to improve their meeting spaces. Take for example, nsquared presenter allows you to creatively collaborate and deliver presentations using all the devices you find in a meeting room.

Read here how international property group, Longton is using nsquared presenter to impress clients during sales presentations.

While Minority Report was a creative work of fiction, the truth is technology like it is available today and is already being used by forward thinking organizations that want to take their businesses to the next level.

If would like to learn how you can take your meeting room to new heights email us at enquiries@nsquaredsolutions.com

Free PDF Download - An Introduction to Digital Tables

Over the last couple of weeks we continue to be asked the key questions,  “what’s a digital table?” and “why do we need one”?

The demand and interest in digital tables is evident and increasing. From local libraries, to real estate agencies, to modern business boardrooms, it’s great to see how individuals and organizations are thinking forward and realizing the true value of creating a digitized, collaborative meeting space.

We have been working with digital tables since 2007 and are passionate about using technology that supports true “social” face to face communication. Digital tables, or digitables, provide a unified multi-user experience that enriches conversation and engagement.

To assist those considering enhancing their spaces, we have taken the time to put together a simple PDF document.

This FREE PDF document contains everything you should consider when implementing a digital table including,

- Number of touch points required – Find out what will give you a premium experience

- Screen Size and orientation – What’s best fit for your environment?

- Lighting – Is the hardware suitable?

- Multi-User Software - How do you enable multiple people to interact? What outcomes do you want to achieve?

And more!

If you have more questions regarding digital table solutions for your space, get in contact with us today. Email us directly at enquiries@nsquaredsolutions.com.

A new, social way to explore the world

There is no rest to be had here in the nsquared studio, we have been busy working away on our latest multi-user, multi-touch application.

Introducing nsquared maps, a new, social way to explore the world!

This unique multi-user application allows for teams to gather around a digital table such as the Samsung SUR40 or Microsoft Perceptive Pixel screen and work with maps together.

nsquared maps features an individual map for each person. Each map can be easily resized or rotated with intuitive hand gestures. When you find a map you wish to keep, simply save the map for loading at a later date. You can even annotate maps with shapes and freehand drawing, plot routes, add your own pins, and import geo feeds.

This premium multi-touch application enables more fluid, meaningful conversation within the team. No need to look over small mobile screens or tablets, or turn your back to an audience to by referring to a vertical screen -  work together in a 360 degree, tabletop environment to view and annotate digital maps together. Team members can contribute to the discussion by bringing up their own individual maps, such as a company location, emergency reports or news source on the same screen. Communication becomes effortless, more impactful and faster as peers can easily see what their colleagues are wanting to share across the screen.

Features

-          Individual maps can be brought up for each user

-          Resize, reorient and rotate maps on the table

-          Draw freehand, Import GEO feeds, drop pins, plot routes,

-          Save and share maps

-          Point of Interest searches (eg. Effiel Tower, Statue of Liberty)

Benefits

-          Enable and enhance collaboration

-          Social way to explore virtual maps

-          Use data from external feeds for better planning and learning

-          Create, save and re-load maps for quick viewing

Ideal for

-          Emergency Planning Centres

-          Business Meeting rooms

-          Schools, Universities, Libraries and Museums

-          Real Estate Offices

If you are interested in learning more about this application, feel free to send us an email at enquiries@nsquaredsolutions.com or call us on +61 2 9262 3386.

Find out about our latest products and services by subscribing to our nsquared newsletter.

nsquared in Ibiza!

Today’s nsquared blog post comes to you from the sandy, holiday beaches of Ibiza.

nsquared was recently approached by Grand Palladium Palace Ibiza Resort & Spa to provide software for their Samsung SUR40 units. In particular, the client was looking for an innovative, easy-to-use solution to help them increase their brand awareness and create a unique, memorable holiday experience for their guests. 

Multiple SUR40 units were deployed, situated in the lobby area of the brand new Ushuaia Tower Hotel and in the exclusive Presidential suite.

To enhance the resort's guest experiences with the digital tables, nsquared was able to offer a range of our off-the-shelf applications nsquared minesweeper, nsquared treasure hunter, nsquared spacelanes, nsquared 21 and nsquared jigsaw. Grand Palladium further embellished their nsquared applications through the use of the nsquared admin tool. Our unique admin tool empowers companies to upload their branded videos and images to display on the tabletops. 

Grand Palladium Palace Client and Project Manager, Kamal Rifai, expressed his appreciation to the nsquared team,

“Thank you for your help Dr Neil and special thanks to Mitan. He was very helpful and very knowledgeable and thanks to him we have developed top of the notch solutions”

As the technological landscape changes, forward-thinking companies like Grand Palladium Palace Ibiza Resort & Spa are embracing new technologies that enrich guest interaction.

For more information on nsquared products please contact +61 2 9262 3386 or email info@nsquaredsolutions.com

nsquared feature in The Australian

Well look what we’ve just found in the nsquared archive…

Our highly publicized feature in The Australian!

Chris Griffith, a prominent IT writer for The Australian, visited our nsquared technology studio in Sydney to have a chat about the power of social computing around the Samsung SUR40.

The original article was published on July 10, 2012 – Read it here,

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/personal-tech/samsung-overturns-regular-computer-design-with-the-microsoft-surface-table/story-e6frgazf-1226421861385

We are happy to say that more than 18 months later there continues to be a  high and increasing demand for the Samsung SUR40 (and other multi-user tables) and our off the shelf applications. We have a broad range of customers from business to education, retail to hospitality – both here locally in Australia and across the globe.

Today you can find the SUR40 running our nsquared software in many schools, universities, museums, hotel foyers and even real estate offices!

Spark your curiosity?

Find out more about increasing productivity, collaboration and creativity in your spaces today by contacting us on +61 2 9262 3386 or email us – info@nsquaredsolutions.com 

How Your Business Can Benefit from a Digital Table

Are you tired of attending the same boardroom and client meetings? Are you fed up with competing for attention and compelling customers to focus on the same projected screen? Perhaps you just can't quite see what your teammate is trying to share with you on their tablet or mobile screen.

Why not revolutionize your business meeting space with a digital table? Take your meetings to the 21st Century and present your digital content horizontally with a group of people around a 360 degree interface. Better yet, why not use software that integrates multiple devices to share that digital content?

For centuries tables have been used as a space for meetings, a place for sharing of ideas and discussion arenas for business development. Now, as modern society continues to focus on developing content and ideas on personal devices, it only makes sense that we share all our hard work with our colleagues in a more collaborative and open environment.

Everything we generate - our Office documents, images and videos, PDFs and Powerpoint presentations - can be placed on a digital table that is easier for everyone to see and review. Tables further support and enhance conversations by encouraging face-to-face communication and co-operation.

Benefits of a Digital Table

- Create strong engagement

- Keep attention focused

- Create a memorable experience 

- Enhance and enrich your conversations

- Increase productivity

- Easily share and annotate digital content

- Become green friendly, save on printing costs

For more information on digital tables and applications that can be used your business environment today , read our latest newsletter here: 

FREE Newsletter on Digital Tables

http://eepurl.com/AQf5D

Like what you've read? Let us know your thoughts by contacting us at enquiries@nsquaredsolutions.com 

Purchasing a Samsung SUR40 through nsquared in Australia

 
The nsquared sales team has just spent the last five full days presenting and demonstrating our software on the Samsung SUR40 at both the Australian CeBit and EduTech conferences. After generating all this excitement, it was only appropriate that we provide our readers with more information on this fantastic piece of hardware, how it could work for you and how you can purchase it today.

Why buy the Samsung SUR40?

This device  has the ability to create instant and deep emotional connections with its users. It does this by allowing them to interact in a social, collaborative manner around a table; by giving them the power to drive and create their own experiences. In the business scenario, once connections have been increased that can build trust, drive up sales, increase referrals and cement customer loyalty. For educators, connections with content drive deeper engagement for students, thus enhancing and enriching their learning experience.

Quick Tech Specs

• 40’’ Full HD LED Display
• Object Recognition
• Multi-touch, multi-user
• Scratch resistance, heavy duty protective Gorilla Glass (perfect for public spaces)
• WiFi, Bluetooth and Ethernet Connections

How it could work for you – Industries and Applications

The Samsung SUR40 has been deployed as an engaging device across a plethora of industries. We have seen businesses, universities, schools, hotels and  retail outlets continue to see quick returns on their investments. As we know, no hardware is useful without software running on it! We have a variety of off-the-shelf products that are ready and can be purchased today. Here’s a quick snapshot of what we have available:


Click Image to Enlarge
 


Each of these applications can be purchased separately and chosen to meet your needs. Every license of the application is perpetual and includes free updates. For more information on any of the applications listed above, please feel free to visit our website – www.nsquaredsolutions.com

How you can purchase it today

 

The Samsung SUR40 is available here in Australia, it can be ordered directly through us a sales@nsquaredsolutions.com  and can be delivered to your premises between 3-5 business days once payment has been made. ASK US HOW.
 

Digital Tables Everywhere

At nsquared we have a mission - to put digital tables everywhere. Everywhere there is a table there is an opportunity to enhance the experience at that table with digital content.

First and foremost a table is a gathering place for people to meet and to share ideas and experiences. By adding digital content directly to the surface of the table we are creating a space that enhances and enriches human contact because it responds easily and naturally to the physical interaction of many users, simultaneously. It’s social, and encourages people to engage. 

  A table is a place of social gathering 

Most computer interfaces are designed for individual use. We even call them personal
computers. The large vertical screens that most of us are familiar with (TVs and Cinema screens) have been places of social gathering for friends and family for some time. Yet the vertical screen experience is not socially engaging in the same way as sitting around a campfire or a dinner table. The dynamics of sitting in a circle or around a table facing other people is very different to the dynamics that exist when we all sit facing in the same direction. In fact we are taught at an early age not to talk (or socialize) when we’re all sitting and facing the same way (otherwise the teacher gets very annoyed). 

The rise of blogs, Twitter and most noticeably Facebook has shown us that people really love to connect and share their experiences with each other. Human beings are social animals. Most people share what seems to be a primal need to gather in groups to play, work and relax.

This brings us back to the objective of enhancing the socialization that occurs as we sit facing each other. By enabling digital content (which is a big part of many of our lives) to be rendered directly onto the table we can enrich the conversations and therefore the experiences of the people gathered around the table. Adding the ability for the people around the table to interact with the content at the same time creates an even more memorable and emotionally attached result. 

There are educational, business and recreational benefits to digital tables.

Students learn better in groups 

Creating an environment where students can collaborate to create content or compete with each other while learning has demonstrated positive educational benefits. Students are drawn to digital
tables and subsequently and almost seamlessly into an environment that, with the right software, enhances their enjoyment of learning, encourages social interaction and creates an emotional attachment to the content. Think about the times that you have read something and then forgotten it a few days later, and then compare that with how well you
remember things when they are part of a conversation you’ve had with other people. Often you will remember the people involved and their expressions as much as the lesson learned or topic discussed. 

Meetings can be enhanced with a digital table 

The same rules apply to business conversations. If you are really trying to encourage a group of people to brainstorm, plan, collaborate, sell, and share then you want them facing each other and talking. People need to be looking at each other’s faces, reading body language, and listening. This is why we sit around a meeting room table when we want to find a solution to a problem, determine an action plan for a project, or make a sales pitch to a client. Current widespread behavior of bringing laptops to the meeting table and using them during the meeting (often for checking emails, sending instant messages and checking Facebook) defeats the purpose of sitting around a table to solve a problem and share ideas. Not only are the people at the meeting disengaged from each other, the
open laptop screens provide physical barriers to the conversation. 

A table that enables the display and creation of digital content is an open space that encourages people to connect socially and engage in the conversation.

Digital tables create places for people to interact 

In recreational environments where searching for places of interest, building itineraries, and game playing are common activities, we can improve the experience by presenting the information in digital form on the tabletop. 

By enabling people to bring their own content and take value away from the table on their own devices, the digital table can start to provide seamless integration with familiar mobile technology and then extend the experience and engagement.


We are sure that the future for all of us will include more digital tables and a better use of technology for face-to-face social interactions. At nsquared we are proud to be pioneers of this exciting opportunity and look forward to making this dream become reality. 

What's new in digital tables

Here is a round up of some of the new things happening with digital tabletop technology.
As developers of software and resellers of digital tabletop hardware we are constantly on the look out for the latest technology and the changes happening in this space.
At the beginning of this year (2012) Samsung released the long awaited Samsung SUR40 with Microsoft PixelSense. The team at nsquared had been working with Microsoft and Samsung for over a year prior to this release and nsquared is acting as a reseller for the SUR40 in Australia. Many of our clients are buying the SUR40 preloaded with a number of the nsquared applications.

The nsquared meeting room table

Since the launch of the SUR40 several interesting tabletop solutions have started to emerge. Working with 3M, nsquared has embedded a multi-touch screen into meeting room tables, creating a totally flat (no bezel) tabletop solution that is easy to wipe down and keep clean as well as being very robust and usable from any side of the table. More good news is coming from our work with 3M later this year as this engadget article suggests.

We are expecting a number of far smaller form factors to emerge in the coming months, driven in part by the release of Microsoft Windows 8.  The team at Sony have demonstrated the Vaio Tap 20, a 20" multi-touch (10) screen that can morph between a vertical screen and a horizontal screen. Clearly smaller than most of the screens nsquared has been working with, but it offers an entry level digital table top experience for 2 people. We are hoping to see several more solutions like this from other hardware manufacturers in the coming months.

The Sony Vaio Tap 20

So what is next ? 

There are a lot of research projects happening in the field of table top computers and we hope some of these will lead to new exciting products we can use to help build rich experiences for our customers. One that has caught our eye is the BendDesk project in Germany, a touch surface that has a horizontal and a vertical component. While not the social experience that we love about true digital tables, it still represents and interesting look at how the interactive workspace might evolve.

Featured in The Australian

We had a great visit from Chris Griffith last week, of The Australian newspaper.

We spent about an hour showing Chris all the great work we are doing with tabletop computers, specifically the Samsung SUR40. 

Today an article from Chris appeared in The Australian newspaper and it can be found online here. 

A video of Chris' visit was taken and is available on the website of The Australian.

Australian Launch event for Samsung SUR40 with Microsoft PixelSense

Last week was a big week for us at nsquared. Working with Samsung, we launched the Samsung SUR40 with Microsoft PixelSense in Australia at an event in Sydney.

Samsung SUR40 with Microsoft PixelSense running nsquared presenter.

The nsquared team at the event demonstrated a number of applications. Amongst the most popular was nsquared presenter, from the nsquared business pack. With nsquared presenter content such as Microsoft Office documents, images and movies can be shared on the table and sent to other screens. Other devices running nsquared presenter can also share content between each other.

With nsquared presenter we are bringing all your digital devices together to create a truly collaborative solution.

Here is some press we received from the day:

PC Authority

IT Wire

Government News

Sydney Morning Herald

Engaging Education with touch

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

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.

Surface 2.0 is here and we are Ready.

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.