News
1 Million Kinect Sensors Sold in 10 Days
AshMan says…
Since it’s launch 10 Days ago the Kinect Sensor for the Xbox 360, has sold 1 million of them just in time for the silly season.
The sales figures only cover what has been sold in America, and with other launches around the world to be happening in the next week it will be interesting to see how many Microsoft do sell in the lead up to Christmas. Microsoft has said it is confident that is will sell around 5 million by the end of the year, which as a goal looks achievable with customers excited about being able to ditch the controller completely.
Kinect launches in Australia on November 18 at all major retailers with a RRP of $199 bundled with Kinect Adventures.
SmackDown Sponsor: Plantronics
AshMan says…
To add to the sponsors list of Microsoft, HP and Dell I’m proud to announce Plantronics as a sponsor!
Plantronics the worlds no.1 headset maker in the world, and the makers of the fantastic GameCon range!
Headsets which will be there to be seen (and heard ofcourse!) and won include the fantastic GameCon X95 Wireless Xbox 360 Headset and the GameCon 777 Xbox 360/PC 7.1 Headset, plus a myriad of other great headsets!
Make sure you register for SmackDown at http://smackdown2010.eventbrite.com
Another Sponsor! HP have got on board!
AshMan says….
It seems like we are on a roll today with HP also coming on board for the massive event that is SmackDown – Supported by Microsoft.
HP will be bringing along some of their best portable laptops which will surely impress the most critical on design.
If you haven’t registered for SmackDown make sure you visit http://smackdown2010.eventbrite.com
Announcing Dell as new sponsor for SmackDown!
AshMan says…
It is great to announce that Dell Computers are Sponsors of SmackDown – Supported by Microsoft!
They will be bringing some of their best portable gaming machines and portable PC’s which students will be able to see and yes touch at SmackDown.
If you haven’t registered for SmackDown yet, the event which will be having technology such as Kinect there and showing students how you can get software for free register at http://smackdown2010.eventbrite.com
Announcing SmackDown Speaker – Michael Kordahi
AshMan says…
I am extremely excited to announce one of the speakers which will be talking to students at SmackDown – Supported by Microsoft. He is Michael Kordahi!
So who is Michael Kordahi (aka. Delicate Genius)?
Michael Kordahi is a Developer Evangelist for Microsoft Australia. He has a strong background in web development and now focuses on working with passionate early adopters of Microsoft’s emerging web technologies.
Michael blogs regularly on his blog at delicategenius.com as well as keeping the twitterverse updated on his twitter at @delic8genius.
One of his recent talks can be seen below, as a preview for this great guy!
So if you haven’t registered already for SmackDown – Supported by Microsoft on Wednesday the 27th of October 12pm @ QUT Gardens Points make sure you head over to smakdown2010.eventbrite.com!
It’s almost here! SmackDown – Support by Microsoft
AshMan says…
SmackDown – Supported by Microsoft is creeping closer and if you haven’t registered for this FREE event, you are going to miss out!
If you need convincing to come to SmackDown here are a few reasons why you should come:
- See the latest technology from Microsoft including Kinect for Xbox 360!
- Find out how you can develop apps yourself using professional developer software for FREE as a student!
- See awesome Microsoft Developer Staff present!
- FREE FOOD!
- AWESOME PRIZES!
So if you’re into awesome tech, developing, free food and awesome prizes (any mix acceptable!) well this is your event!
- When? Wednesday 27th October 2010 12pm – 2pm
- Where? QUT Gardens Point Z Block Room 411
- Cost? FREE
Registering for this free event is essential, so visit smackdown2010.eventbrite.com to register!
See you there!
SmackDown – Supported by Microsoft
AshMan says…
The big announcement is here! Smackdown is coming to QUT for QUT Science and Technology Students and School Children!
SmackDown is an event to see and interact with the latest technology from Microsoft, learn how to use tools which are free for students to create awesome software and finally to win some awesome prizes and free food!
SmackDown will be held on the 27th of October from 12pm – 2pm at QUT Gardens Point with food being provided after. I highly recommend you bring your smartphone, with Twitter, Facebook and the ability to text!
Registration is essential and you can do that here: http://smackdown2010.eventbrite.com/
Microsoft Student Film Festival 2010
Thanks to the bright sparks at Microsoft we now have another Student competition for us to sink our teeth into.

“We want you to make a short film. If you’ve got a favourite style or genre, we want you to embrace it! If you want to be a writer, director, actor, cinematographer or even sound engineer, then rise to your ambitions.
In support of young Australian talent, Microsoft wants to give students the opportunity to gain industry exposure and go head to head, film to film, against University, College and TAFE students Australia wide – with some pretty awesome prizes in the mix. “
Go now and check it out, while you’re at it have a look at the awesome prizes and tell your friends.
Attend, get prizes, play games and playKinect!
We have some very exciting news!
We have managed to secure some tickets to an exciting upcoming XBOX event! There is an exclusive event called the “Open House” to showcase Microsoft’s latest consumer products including the Australian debut of “Kinect for Xbox 360.” The event will take place at Luna Park with satellite events in other locations. The event will showcase our technology as part of the consumer’s life by bringing scenarios to life including the kitchen, living room, kids room, on the move and in the office. You will be amongst the first people in Australia to see and play with Kinnect, Windows Phone 7 and other new technology.
[Please see attached invitation]
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Details
Thursday 2 September, 2010
4-5 pm (please note the invitation says 3-4 which has been changed to 4 to 5. So 4pm to 5pm is the correct time)
Crystal Ballroom, Luna Park, Sydney
1 Olympic Drive, Milsons Point, NSW, 2061
RSVP with your name and university to Anoop.Mehta@student-partners.com.au
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On the event day, you are allowed to take pictures & film video and share the content with other students in the community, especially good for your blogs.
Email me if you have any questions.
Anoop
TechEd 2010 – FREE The Student Dialogues for Faculty Staff
AshMan says…
THE STUDENT DIALOGUES
Come and hear from and interact with students from all across the country – possibly from your very own university – who all want one thing – to have a better, richer, more productive and inspiring experience while they study.
Hear how they want to be inspired to use technology and what they need to feel supported by you in their endeavours to better themselves, and why they want to be more productive (and how they can be) which in turn will help them succeed even more, and even what they want in an email service at their university.
Want to know what your students want to do when they graduate? Feel it’s important to know how to interact with the modern day student in your class or on your campus? Hunger to not only teach but lead your students to success in study and career?
Last year’s Academic Day confirmed one thing to us – the faculty and IT staff attendees found it incredibly valuable to hear directly from the students on the day, so we’re committing ourselves this year to making that happen even more – every session delivered in The Student Dialogues will be presented by a student from around the country that all have a common goal – to help their universities serve their students better so that when they graduate they’re ready for the outside world as powerful and effective as they can be.
You might have noticed the title of this event contains the word Dialogues, which is completely intentional. While every student presenter will be delivering to you their key messages, they’re also keen to hear from you – they’re committed to making this an interactive experience that benefits both the university and the students. So every session will have a dedicated Q&A time slot allocated to it.
So don’t miss this special three and a half hour event on the Gold Coast. RSVP is essential so book your place today!
All attendees will also receive complimentary access to the opening keynote address of the biggest technical conference in Australia – TechEd, and an invitation to attend the opening party of TechEd where they can network with the IT industry itself, potentially finding partners to help support their students in their study.
AGENDA OUTLINE – 12:30pm Start
- Introduction
- The Modern Student: What it means to be a student
- The Future Student: What can you do to attract students to your institution
- Inspiration – Imagine Cup – students want to represent your uni or school on the world stage
- Afternoon Tea
- Mobility – Windows Phone 7
- Productivity – Office 2010 and Office Web Apps
- Communication – Live@EDU
- Conclusion
Remember, all sessions include Q&A so you can ask the students directly for more details on the burning info you’re after.
4:00-4:30pm Transition to Keynote
4:30pm – Complimentary access to Opening Keynote of TechEd Australia
DETAILS
When
12:30pm – 4:00pm, Tuesday 24 August 2010
4:30pm onwards for TechEd Opening Keynote
Where
Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre
Corner of Gold Coast Highway and TE Peters Drive, Broadbeach QLD 4218
Session information
The Modern Student – What does it mean to be a student in today’s world? How does the modern student cope with the pressures of always on communication, families, work and social activities while at the same time trying to excel at study? What things can you do to help them succeed and not feel bombarded and helpless? What things can they do to help you better connect with them and communicate with them more effectively?
The Future Student – All universities are constantly challenged to recruit more and better candidates for their undergraduate courses. Hear from students who are passionate about exciting kids to get into studying technology and how they can help you get more passionate high school students applying to study at your university. Find out what techniques work when trying to get potential candidates keen on IT, and hear how your own current student pool can help you reach out to your surrounding schools.
Inspiration – Students all over the country are proud of the university they study at and we’re hearing they want to represent their uni on the national and global stage. Microsoft run Imagine Cup, the world’s biggest technology competition for students with over 325,000 students entering the competition worldwide in 2010. How can you help encourage and support the students at your university represent their technical prowess and in turn showcase the talent that is produced out of your university to the industry and media worldwide.
Mobility – A special introductory session on Windows Phone 7 that shows off the features and how it can integrate to other aspects of the learning experience for a student, plus a quick demonstration of how easy it is to build your own applications for the phone that could potentially leverage off your institution’s existing infrastructure.
Productivity – All students want to be as productive as possible. Studies show that they have almost double the amount of activities as they have waking hours in a week, which means they need to be as efficient as possible with everything they do. Hear how some students use products like OneNote and the new Office Web Apps to make their lives easier and see how they can be integrated into your own learning environment easily and at low or no cost to help them be even more productive in their study.
Communication – Email is arguably the most important and effective way of communicating with students in a typical university environment but is also one of the hardest to manage. Hear how students who have used Live@EDU have found it to be an incredibly effective solution for their email needs and has the additional benefits of being able to be used as their online ID elsewhere, thus spreading awareness of your institution on a wider net.
To attend, simply send an email to tech.ed@infosalons.com.au and include the following information for each person you’re RSVPing for:
Full Name
Educational Institution
Too easy!
I look forward to seeing you there, but more importantly, the student speakers are looking forward to seeing you there. Don’t miss out.






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