www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaBzEOlv0J4

My intention after leaving was to take September off,  but now we are in to October I’m still in no real rush to go out looking for a job. I like the idea doing some contracting until the end of the year, one more xBox game to go then I’ll take a look. Other than playing games, I’m still blogging at Augmented Planet so if you miss me then you can always catch me there.
I have been busy putting together an augmented reality event in London (11th November 6pm -- 9pm, All Bar One, New Oxford Street) for augmented reality enthusiasts, if you are in London and you want to see some cool demos then feel free to register and come along. Feel free to get in touch it you want to show a demo.

There are hardly any augmented reality applications for Symbian devices, so I’m looking to spread my wings and buy (yes buy) a new phone for the first time in 10 years. I’m torn between the Google Android G2 HTC Hero and the iPhone. The Android device has been in the front running for a few weeks, but my brother-in-law recently got himself an iPhone. He has been driving me crazy with it and has turned into the ‘there is an app for that’ advert. For someone that could hardly use his last phone he has discovered Twitter and the joy of installing applications, and boy does he install them.

Feel free to help me decide my next phone choice.

Speaking of new phones, last week I went to the OverTheAir event in London and had the chance to play around with the new Samsung 360 device. For a prototype it was very nice, very responsive and very iPhone like.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGbMsH6i60A

The Satio is a Symbian device based on S60 5th Edition, it does everything you’d expect and has a 12.1 megapixel camera as well. The downside, non standard headphone jack. pifff.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_SVStAOJeg

www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-hnizxHaR4

www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xVbDk-5jWI

Personally I’m not due an upgrade for a while and marketing is not like the days of old where we had the latest toys for a month before getting bored and getting something new, (sadly) so the chances of me getting my hands on one are slim to nil.

Got a burning idea for what UI you would like to see on Symbian devices in the future?
The best way to get your idea out there is to share it.

Symbian have setup the UI brainstorm website to collect and share your ideas. Visit the site to see the existing submissions, you can also email the UI guys to share your ideas. You never know, the next phone you buy could be running a UI you designed.

http://symbianuibrainstorm.wordpress.com/

www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPo9L84XJPk

The Samsung i8910 HD is the first Symbian Foundation device, and has support for home screen widgets which leads nicely on to the fact that Samsung have today announced a competition for developers to build widgets for the device and have the chance of winning $$$ as well as getting their widget to market.

If you’re a developer then here the details of how you can take part

Samsung Innovation Quest 2009

• Freedom – no restriction on what category of widget you create
• Fame – promotion and distribution for your widget
• Fortune – Cash prizes

After a one year break, the Samsung Innovation Quest (SIQ) is back – launching Wednesday 24 June 2009. This is the first time SIQ has been held since Samsung Mobile Innovator was launched, so participants this year will have access to technical tools and resources that were previously not available.

What’s the theme for 2009?
This year’s competition is all about building Samsung home screen widgets. The only criteria is that your entry is a widget, and that it runs on the Samsung home screen. We’ve even relaxed our terms and conditions so that the IP is owned solely by you. So get ready to get creative.

The target device is our latest Symbian handset: the i8910 HD. This is the first Symbian device to launch since the Symbian Foundation was formed and to celebrate Symbian are co-sponsoring the event with us.

What’s up for grabs?
As with previous SIQs there are valuable rewards for the winning entries. This year, in addition to a large cash prize pool, we are offering a prime route-to-market for your widget. This means your work could end up on a huge number of devices.

How do I enter?
Anyone can enter. You will need to join Samsung Mobile Innovator first (this takes about two minutes and is completely free), and then submit your widget at samsungiq.com. Submissions open on Wednesday 24 June 2009.

Can I get started now?
Yes, there are no restrictions on the category of widget you create. Over the coming weeks we will be providing further information on how to target the i8910 HD, and you’ll also be able to perform your own tests in Lab.dev. If you already have a widget that you’d like to submit there is no problem, provided it doesn’t violate the SIQ terms and conditions. These will be published when the competition launches.

Any questions?
If you have any questions about the competition, or the technology behind Samsung home screen widgets, visit our discussion boards. We can’t wait to hear from you.

They are both published by Symbian, the first sets up the developer proposition, the second is focused more on the benefits of the platform.
Interesting stuff.

What it’s all about for a developer

www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0j4txF84CU

Opening up a world of infinite possibilities

www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSFieCNLA1I

First off my battered Ford Focus would be replaced with a Lamborghini or two. Of course I couldn’t drive my new Lamborghini and use a common Nokia 5800 or a E71, so I would need something  reassuringly expensive, something with class, gold and diamonds. Fortunately there  are a couple of companies out there that will help separate me from my new found wealth.

Vertu is a standalone company owned by Nokia that sells luxury and reassuringly expensive mobiles. All the mobiles in Vertu’s range are hand built which is a nice touch. Then again when you are paying around $75k for a phone you’d expect that.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=05Za5af6WjI

Goldvish is another luxury  phone maker eager to separate the rich with anything between $20k -- $1,000,000, so if you have cash burning a hole in your pocket then they have the phone for you.  (ugly though)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXAPAO1JzGI

If you’re a banker wanting to part with your hard earned bonus (lasts years bonus obviously) and you want that little bit extra class, why not invest $2.5 million in a diamond encrusted iPhone

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NluyMM7t4w8

I used to work with a guy who measured his bonus in terms of the number of Big Mac’s he could buy over a year.  It became know in the company as the Big Mac index and all bonuses and pay rises were measured on that scale.

On the off chance I win the lottery this weekend, any thoughts on which of these super models I should invest in?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Xoxp2AzVOY

I like the dedicate media buttons for email and Twitter.
According to various websites the LG Xenon will be available this month in North America for $99 on a 2 year service contract.

My thoughts on what I would like to deliver are:

• Hands on training labs for developers to get AR development training
• Technical seminars / presentations
• AR Showcase area for partners to demo their solutions
• Ask the experts area
• Birds of a feather speaking slots (BOFs)
• Keynote demo

The list will evolve and I’m open to ideas.

HIT Lab NZ who specialise in mobile marketing, augmented reality and interactive advertising pinged me over Easter and pointed me at a couple of projects they worked on. It gave me ideas on how we could build in AR into the delegate experience at the  show.

• Various markers placed around the show, could be part of a competition to find something or solve a puzzle
• Turn the Smartphone Show logo into a 3D floor plan of the show

There’s the obvious issues to address, eg software and getting it installed on delegates phones but that’s mere technicalities.

Getting Involved
We should be in a position to send out a call for papers in early May. So if you are doing anything with AR for smartphones (particularly on Symbian OS) and you want to be involved then let me know so I can make sure you get to propose a speaking topic. If you’re interested in exhibiting opportunities let me know and I’ll put you in touch with the right people.  You can either email me Lester @ LesterMadden . com, add me to LinkedIn or just keep an eye on the blog and I’ll post the details.

Some general show facts (2008)

• 2 day event
• 4000 delegates
• 120 exhibitors
• 60 seminars
• 10 keynotes
• Free to attend event

The show is focused around all things related to Smartphones so even if you are not in the AR space and you want to be involved with the show do get in touch or keep an eye out on the blog for the call for papers details. AR will only be on part of what will be a fantastic event.

You can pre-register for the show at SmartphoneShow.com

Here’s a couple of the cool projects HIT Lab are responsible for to whet your appetite for things to come.

Nike T90:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpcE5bcW8ZY

Ford Ka:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrwmHnnSXYo

Fanta Virtual Tennis:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-Ya293u34c

Fanta Virtual Tennis is probably the hardest game in the world. I managed to hit the ball once is 20 minutes of playing, but it will blow the socks off your colleagues. You can install from here.

Supports:

• Nokia N82
• Nokia N95
• Nokia N95-3NAM
• Nokia N95-8GB
• Nokia 6120 Classic
• Nokia 6121 Classic
• Nokia N81
• Nokia N81 8GB

After a reboot, I found with a wireless connection I could browser to any webpage except SalesForce.com, which was a pain as I was trying to update Salesforce at the time. Oddly if I turned off the wireless and used the Ethernet connection I could only browse Salesforce.com and no other web page, which was even more of a pain as I was trying to copy data out of GoogleMail into Salesforce. To top off the day, I was half way through a phone swap with my 5800 and E71 when the touch screen refused to work so I couldn’t copy over my data to the new device. I was hoping that today will be a better day but I recharged my N71 battery last night and already it’s flat. It’s shaping up to be another one of those days already.
We are testing some software that enables you to use your mobile device as a landline. OnRelay is a desktop phone replacement service, we are investigating not having fixed desk phones here at the Symbian Foundation and using our mobiles as a landline replacement. We’ll still have a fix line number it will just be routed to the mobile. As there is no 5th edition that’s the reason behind me going back to my E71 so I can take part in the trial. I have to admit though, I do miss my 5800 already.

I wrote last week about Cooliris and how it was an excellent way to view images. At the time I moaned about the lack of an S60 version. Well good news, Nokia Beta Labs have released a super cool photo browsers for the Nokia 5800 that gives a 3D browsing effect, magnifying glass and face browsing.

Take a look

www.youtube.com/watch?v=pV18PH5LjT4

You can install or get more info from here

Why did I find this the day AFTER I switched from my 5800 back to the E71? I told you it was going to be one of those days.