The Chronicles of Balam the 3D game representing Mexico at Imagine Cup

When it comes to games I must say many of us get crazy, but afte meeting Fomis Team from Mexico and playing their game called "The chronicles of Balam" I got insane!!!

Basically, The Chronicles of Balam is a 3D adventure game in which you assume the role of Balam, a young jaguar who wants to earn the Millennium Insignias. In order to do this he must help to make his world a better place.

Inspired by the Millennium Development Goals the game shows how technology can help solve the toughest problems.

This is the second year that Fomis Team is going to the Microsoft's Imagine Cup finals. Their goal this year is the FIRST Place watch their video and if you like it. Vote them!

Twitter Page
Facebook Page

Project Brain a solution created by Mexican Students

"Brain a system that brings knowledge through technology to children who have interrupted their education due to natural disasters, allowing them to continue their intellectual development."








Last week I had the opportunity to met Ibero Mexico team at Microsoft Mexico. created by Brenda Möller Ramos, Andrea César Gil, Fernando Rivero Sosa and Benjamín Morales.

They are the Mexican finalist who will represent Mexico on Microsoft's Imagine Cup 2011 with ther project named "Brain".

How does their project works?

Brain, is a tool that will help reduce the gap in children's development caused by this interruption of education due to natural tropical disasters - such as floods, hurricanes, heavy rains, etc. - by offering children from 6 to 12 years-old an opportunity to keep developing their cognitive skills through interactive games. Brain is a complete system that works along with teachers, schools, sociable responsible companies and anyone who is interested in achieving children's successful development in Mexico and around the world.

You like their project? Just watch their video and vote them by clicking the image down here..

Start making the difference.

Follow Brain at

Official Page
Twitter
Facebook

Introducing the S8ver device, representing Colombia on Imagine Cup 2011

Meet Freakin' Mind. The team that will represent Colombia at Microsoft Imagine Cup finals in July 2011. The team members are Sebastián Londoño, Catalina Sierra, Juan Davod Muñoz, Luis Miguel González.

This students From ICESI University made the S8ver project. But.. what is the S8ver?

S8VER is a technological tool that aims to address the high mortality rates when natural disasters occur. Currently the tools to search for survivors in a disaster situation are not efficient and do not take advantage of available resources, which becomes a big problem because in such situations these resources are scarce and people die because the lack of timely assistance. S8VER is a device that can fly over the areas affected by natural disasters being able to identify itself survivors that need to be rescued.


Sounds interesting right?

Below is an interview, unfortunately in spanish with the team members and their device.
Keep in touch because on the next days we will see more about this team.

UPDATE; People Choice award video is now available vote for them at:

Twitter Page
Facebook Page

Need a carpool? Students from Costa Rica have an answer for you, heading up to Imagine Cup 2011

Last days I had the oportunity talk with this team and find out about this great project about carpooling made by students. Look out the project below:

Carpooling Mate Finder is a mobile application that register your common routes and finds your traveling mates.

CMF project was made on Costa Rica by the students Mario Alberto Barrantes Quesada and Wagner Alberto Alvarado Quesada, from the University of Costa Rica. Their project was selected as finalist which will be representing Peru at Imagine Cup finals on New York at the Sotware Design competition.


What is Carpooling Mate Finder?


Carpooling Mate Finder is a mobile application made on Windows Phone 7 OS hosted at Windows Azure, the main idea of the project if to make easier the carpooling practice more easy, searching for routes and the time to find your possible traveling mates on a specified ratio pre-configured by the user.


This application have also integration with Facebook, you can make reports of traffic and share them on Facebook, integrating Bing Maps.


If this wasnt enough, you can also enter the website where you can set advanced settings in your routes, times, and modify the search settings.


Do you like this project? What their video at:









Fore more information about Carpooling Mate Finder enter


Official page
Twitter Page
Facebook

Meet the Ñawy Harkay project from Perú (english ver)

"Ñawy Harkay: not another eyemouse project" is a solution from Perú by Bruno Espinoza, Jose Damian, Victoria Palacin and Roberto Reto.

This project will head up the next month (8-14 July) to New York City to the finals of the hugest worldwide student competition; Imagine Cup representing to their country.

What is the Ñawy Harkay Project?

Ñawy Harkay is filling the gap between expensive eyemouse applications (applications to operate the mouse with the eyes) and unhealthy cheap devices with a new solution, fully integrated with the Windows 7, not expensive and with minimum effect on the eyes.

Many of the eyemouse solutions works in their own environments, limiting the activities a user can perform. Ñawy Harkay works very similar to an accessibility extension, so the user can access the computer as any other person.

Ñawy Harkay is a mixture between software and an external device similar to a pair of glasses tied to a webcam. While using existing libraries, we created a new way to solve the problem using blinks and white lights.

Want to know more about this great project?



Also on:

o Facebook
o Twitter
o Blog
o YouTube channel

Conoce a Ñawy Harkay un proyecto creado en Peru para Imagine Cup 2011

“Ñawy Harkay: not another eyemouse project” es un proyecto creado en Perú por Bruno Espinoza, Jose Damian, Victoria Palacin y Roberto Reto de la Universidad Catolica Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo.
 
El equipo viajará a New York City y  participará del 8 al 14 julio en las finales de la mayor competencia estudiantil a nivel mundial; Imagine Cup, representando a Perú en la categoría de Software Design.

¿Qué es Ñawy Harkay?

Nawy Harkay es un proyecto el cual llena el vacío entre eyemouse applications (aplicaciones para operar el ratón con los ojos) las cuales son ofrecidas con un alto precio u otros casos son dispositivos baratos  e insalubres.

El proyecto es una nueva solución la cual está completamente integrada con el Windows 7, no es caro y tiene un impacto mínimo en los ojos.

Muchas de las soluciones del tipo “eyemouse” trabajan en su propio entorno, lo que limita las actividades de un usuario puede realizar.

Nawy Harkay funciona muy similar a la extensión de la accesibilidad, por lo que el usuario puede acceder a la computadora como cualquier otra persona.

Nawy Harkay es una combinación entre el software y un dispositivo externo similar a un par de gafas atado a una cámara web.

Aqui un video de demostración de como trabaja este magnifico proyecto.


Quieres saber mas del equipo?

o Facebook
o Twitter
o Blog
o YouTube channel

Mejores practicas en el desarrollo de una aplicación para Windows Phone 7 exitosa

Aqui encontrarás la presentación de Power Point así como la solucion al proyecto generado en la demo para el webcast de "Mejores practicas en el desarrollo de una aplicación para Windows Phone 7 exitosa" presentado en el Tecnomaraton 2011.

Skydrive de Julio farfan:
http://cid-b4ef927e3e7f29a1.skydrive.live.com/redir.aspx?resid=B4EF927E3E7F29A1!238

A continuacion se describe la serie de pasos necesarias para llegar a la solucion mostrada en mi Skydrive:

Creamos una aplicacion para windows phone 7.0
Agregando un DatePicker en el proyecto

Agregamos la referencia del Silverlight Toolkit for Windows Phone

• C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SDKs\Windows Phone\v7.0\Toolkit\Nov10\Bin\Microsoft.Phone.Controls.Toolkit.dll.

Agregamos el namespace del toolkit

• xmlns:toolkit="clr-namespace:Microsoft.Phone.Controls;assembly=Microsoft.Phone.Controls.Toolkit"

Agregamos en la UI el DatePicker

• <toolkit:DatePicker x:Name="datePicker" Value="2/3/2010"/>

Crea una carpeta llamada Toolkit.Content y agrega los iconos llamados

• ApplicationBar.Cancel.png y ApplicationBar.Check.png, re build a la app.

Agregamos los elementos de la UI tales como instrucciones, tu nombre, nombre de tu pareja, imagen representativa, aniversario resultados. Dichos elementos deberán ser colocados en el grid con la siguiente sintaxis.

  <Grid x:Name="ContentPanel" Grid.Row="1" Margin="12,0,12,0">
......
  </Grid>

Para tomar los datos del DatePicker y realizar la operacion con la fecha actual se realiza el siguiente codigo:

//Consultamos la fecha actual

DateTime actual = DateTime.Now;

//tomamos la fecha del DatePicker

var aniversario_no = datePicker.Value;

//Convertimos la fecha a una variable de tipo fecha

DateTime aniversario = Convert.ToDateTime(aniversario_no);

//realizamos la resta de ambas fechas

System.TimeSpan tiempo_juntos = actual.Subtract(aniversario);

//escribimos en el textblock los resultados

txt_res.Text = txt_nom1.Text+" y "+txt_nom2.Text+" han pasado "+tiempo_juntos.Days+ " dias juntos.\nFelicidades!!";




Para realizar un sms con el texto en un textblock se realiza de la siguiente forma

//se crea una nueva tarea para escribir un sms

Microsoft.Phone.Tasks.SmsComposeTask sms = new Microsoft.Phone.Tasks.SmsComposeTask();

//se la agrega el cuerpo del mensaje, tomando el texto del resultado

sms.Body = txt_res.Text;

//se muestra en el editor de mensajes

sms.Show();

El codigo se encuentra documentado y es una aplicación sencilla.
Si tienen alguna duda no duden en escribirme a Farfan.Julio@msptechrep.com

Gracias a los asistentes de Tecnomaraton y  espero verles en proximos eventos,

Si quieren mas ejemplos
http://www.msdev.com/Directory/SeriesDescription.aspx?CourseId=158
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff637516.aspx


Julio Farfan