Windows 8 Education Apps

At nsquared we have been busy getting a range of educational applications ready for Windows 8. 
A number of the new computers being released are incredibly exciting, providing new ways for multiple people to interact around a single screen. Devices such as the Sony Tap 20 and the Lenovo Horizon will bring small digital tables into the home and classroom at very affordable prices.
Our history producing software for digital tables, such as Microsoft PixelSense, has lead to creating some truly outstanding multi-user experiences for Windows 8 devices. 

To start the new year we have released six new applications aimed at the younger audience, that is learning to read, write and count. These applications are great for small group learning.

nsquared letters 
A free form language application designed for use with or without guidance. The nsquared letters application allows students to explore words in virtually any language that uses the Latin alphabet. 
Get it here

nsquared numbers 
A free-form application that can be used to teach basic mathematical concepts. How many ways can your students make the sum of ‘7’, or ‘48’, or any other number you’d like to explore? How many ways can they create those same results? 
Get it here

nsquared make words
This structured educational game will help students learn object recognition and differentiation, and improve their recall and spelling. nsquared makewords has the ability to switch between a range of content packs through the menu and download new content as it's released.
Get it here

nsquared herding
nsquared herding is designed to develop numeracy, pattern matching and object recognition skills.

Designed for one to four players (depending on the size of your device, you may only be able to have up to two players), herding requires each player to collect the correct numbers of each target object and place them into their own playing area.

Get it here

nsquared snap
nsquared snap is designed to develop pattern matching, memory, and object recognition skills.
This turn based memory game requires up to four students to match overturned cards. Only two cards may be turned over at any time in an attempt to find a matching pair.
Each player must take a turn individually, with a point being awarded when a pair of cards is matched successfully.
Get it here

nsquared missing card
nsquared missing card is designed to develop pattern matching and object recognition skills.
This is a multi-player game for up to four students. Players must chose the best match from three options presented to them. 
Get it here

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.