Thursday, November 17, 2011

Car shows and interactive tables

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.

Sunday, August 28, 2011

nsquared seamless computing

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!


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.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

nsquared spydar for Windows Kinect



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.

    Sunday, August 14, 2011

    nsquared circuits for iPad 1.5

    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.

    Friday, August 12, 2011

    Updated: Locus for Windows Phone 7

    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.

    Wednesday, August 3, 2011

    University of Sydney Tech Lounge with Microsoft Surface

    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

    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.

    Sunday, July 17, 2011

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


    ...….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.

    Wednesday, July 13, 2011

    nsquared thoughts for Windows 7



    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.

    Monday, July 4, 2011

    nsquared slyda


    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...

    Saturday, July 2, 2011

    Let's go to the zoo, A to Zoo

    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

    Thursday, June 23, 2011

    A new version of nsync, thrice as good!

    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!

    Tuesday, June 21, 2011

    Managed Publishing 1.0 goes live

    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.

    Developing for Microsoft SurfaceLearn Japanese Pod Show NotesGetting Started With Tablet PC Development

    Sunday, June 19, 2011

    The nsquared education pack at CEFPI OZ

    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.











    Tuesday, May 24, 2011

    CowGoesMoo goes live!

    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!





    Monday, May 23, 2011

    nsquared education pack updates

    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.

    Sunday, May 22, 2011

    A week of conferences


    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.

    Sunday, May 15, 2011

    We've moved!

    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

    Thursday, April 7, 2011

    Windows 7 Touch applications on 3M screen

    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

    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.


    Monday, March 14, 2011

    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.

    Monday, March 7, 2011

    Exchange Server 2003 Compatibility



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

    To be fair, when the ntask concept first came to us, we underestimated the number of business users who are still working with Exchange Server 2003 and who also have iPads.
    To all of our faithful customers who've waited patiently over the last few weeks, a very big "Thank You!" for your prompt feedback. You should have your updates by now, and we sincerely hope you've started to enjoy the benefits that ntask offers you. We look forward to hearing from you especially if you think it can still be better, too!

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

    Thursday, March 3, 2011

    The Value of Money



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

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

    Enjoy it and let us know what you think!


    Wednesday, February 16, 2011

    ntask - leaner and faster.


    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).

    Sunday, February 13, 2011

    Collaborative learning with Make Words for iPad.


    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.

    Sunday, February 6, 2011

    Windows Phone 7 - Welcome back

    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.

    Thursday, February 3, 2011

    iPad learning and fun with nsquared sticker book


    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.

    Thursday, January 27, 2011

    Learning Money and Maths with nsquared coin swap



    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.

    Monday, January 24, 2011

    iPads and education.


    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.

    Sunday, January 16, 2011

    nsquared ntask for iPad



    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.

    Sunday, January 9, 2011

    nsquared gem


    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.

    Thursday, January 6, 2011

    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.