Vote for the N810 Winner!

[thoughtfix]

The Nokia N810 Giveaway video contest judges have finally agreed on five finalists. This was not easy, but we worked it out.

The finalists, in no particular order, are:

jdsvid (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffmC0gH53qg)
joedavi (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkmEBwe78Tc)
n1njatuned (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTmkYq9Ihfs)
PKickTalk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRZsYOfo-tE)
SunWalker2007 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3w07ZNTFz8)

Don't forget to take a look at all the entries (http://www.youtube.com/video_response_view_all?v=OffXEPYhH20). Now.... Vote!

The highest voted video will get a Nokia N810 Internet Tablet and the rest will get one of several prizes (http://tabletblog.com/2007/11/n810-giveaway-contest-reloaded.html) from Dynamism.com (http://www.dynamism.com). Thanks to everyone who entered, extra special thanks to Reggie, John Tokash, and Jonathan Greene for helping on this, thanks to Dynamism for opening the contest internationally and for the additional prizes, and a preemptive thanks to you for voting.

[Hedgecore]

Woo first vote! (Guess that gave away who I voted for.) Kinda stunned at the list. ;)

[icerabbit]

A couple of my 5 top picks made it to the final round.
My vote is in.
Good luck to everybody.

[Malfaiteur]

My #1 pick made it, for them have I voted. Best of luck guys!

[R-R]

Ok, i voted but i would have voted for the communist one (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwGEGtexinY) ;-)

[Reggie]

The judges have selected the finalists for Thoughtfix's Nokia N810 Giveaway Contest. It is now up to the Internet Tablet Talk members to select the winner! From thirty-two video submissions, the final five, in alphabetical order, are as follows: jdsvid joedavi n1njatuned PKickTalk SunWalker2007 Watch them and vote for the winner!Read the full article. (http://www.internettablettalk.com/2007/11/19/vote-for-te-n810-winner/)

[thoughtfix]

I had to rearrange the post from alphabetical to "no particular" order since, for some reason, while posting the poll they switched. I didn't want people to get confused!

[thoughtfix]

Ack! Adding it to news closed the poll! Sorry!

[Reggie]

Linking the news article from the main page to the poll deleted the original poll.

I have rebuilt the poll so for those who have voted already, you need to vote again.

Sorry about that.

[sachin007]

Thanks for the wonderful contest.

There were many good entries....but i think you concentrated on ones who did not have an internet tablet. I personally think there were other entries(Definitely not mine) which were better than the list you put up. This is not a complaint but that is what i personally think.(not that it matters.)

Anyway all the best for the finalists.

And the voting is very fool proof. Any one could get their friends to sign up and vote. So i hope you guys could make it fool proof somehow.

[thoughtfix]

Yes - re-cast your votes and go ahead and discuss the finalists or other entries!

[ihavenothingprofoundtosay]

i would have voted for the communist one

OK. . . I admit I'm a bit bummed I didn't make it, but at least one person would have voted for me. : )

I'm quite glad to see my 3 favorites make it - now who to vote for. . . . ???

[ArnimS]

Threadbump! :) Great videos!

[anidel]

I love people that spend their time helping people.
Now I want to help them too.

It's a shame I can only cast one vote.

[yabbas]

Really hope these aren't staged!

Jennifer: That N810 better not go to your husband ;)



Incidentally - what stops people from signing up with bogus accounts and voting? Will votes only be counted from forum members who've been online/discussed topics/are active members? Not that anyone here would be so bogus ... it's just a thought is all.

[dkwatts]

This was not easy, but we worked it out...

...extra special thanks to Reggie, John Tokash, and Jonathan Greene for helping on this...

My vote is in and you guys did great.

Based on the criteria, you picked the best finalist:

Real-world consumer applications.
Originality.
value of mobile Internet access.
sites you use and the features of an Internet Tablet.

[Hedgecore]

Discuss? Ooookay! :) There's a few which think out of the box - - right out of the box it was bought in. ;) IE pretty much web browser only use. I would've gone with some others but the poll's showing that too. :) I still woulda gone with icerabbit and DentalHTCorp... to me those showed daily use amazingly, and didn't stick to one particular app (web) that could be used a billion different ways.

This is the second fun party about being a community that rubs shoulders with opensource. Everyone has an opinion! :)

Everyone did great though, seriously, and I think (I can speak for myself anyway) everyone had tonnes of fun. Good luck to everyone!

[Malfaiteur]

I have an opinion but I'm not sure I ought to share it. I'm told if you don't have anything nice to say...

Honestly, my favorite video made it in so that's good. I didn't think I'd actually make it to the top five, but that doesn't mean I'm not a little bummed atm :)

Of course, some videos I didn't really like also made it in. Interesting how we all might have chosen differently; I wonder, how much overlap might there have been if a survey of everyone's top 5 had been taken...

[TTgowings]

Great contest Thoughtfix, I really like the idea of the N810 Giveaway, you have probably done more with this 1 contest to get the word out about Nokia's IT's then Nokia has in the past year which is quite sad and will probably continue until someone there figures out how to promote their great IT products..

This is just my 2 cents on your 5 finalists from watching their submitted videos.

#5-joedavi , probably could have been better laid out video wise but still a great and galiant effort.

#4-n1njatuned-A great presentation and good reasons for getting and using an N810.

#3-PKickTalk-I think what you're doing and have done in your filmmaking ventures is really great, but to win the N810 I don't think it'd be fair to maybe some of the other candidates. If you want an N810 maybe you could sell one or both of your MacBooks, your iPhone maybe that other phone that umpteen megapixel camera and that fine looking HD video camera.. Then you could get yourself a N810 and probaly get a doz or so OLPC's to take and give to the people you spoke about on your next trip.

#2-jdsvid-Man I really wanted to vote for you and it took till now not to as I think the one I am voting for really lives up to the reason this contest was created for. Maybe somebody will get you one somehow someway down the road..

#1-SunWalker2007-I think this one most holds up to the reason the contest was created, and you'd def not want to carry around a full sized laptop on your journey, even an EEE PC would probably be too bulky, I think with an N810 and an extra battery pack or two and maybe a solar charger in your backpack would do you a fine job.

I believe in the instance that Sun outlined in his video, he would be able to make the most use of the N810 and be able to promote and show the most people on his journey's of it's great features and portability.

I just don't think from what PKickTalk had outlined in his video, that the N810 would be the ideal product in that enviroment, I really think the OLPC would be a much better fit.

A very fine job done by all those who submitted their videos.. (I wish I was even almost as talented as these contestants were, GOOD JOB to all)

[jdsemma]

Jennifer: That N810 better not go to your husband ;)


Are you *kidding*? He has his ancient little Zaurus to play with. He didn't even know about the Nokia tablets until I told him, and no way is he getting to touch mine if I get one. :) I'm possibly a bigger geek than he is in some ways, and he's a long-time sysadmin.

Of course I'd have to hide it from the 8-year-old as well...

I did have a great time making the video, and learning to thoroughly hate Windows Movie Maker.

And Hedgecore -- for "out-of-the-box", I took it to mean something you could do with the device right out of the box, literally, not metaphorically. Go back and read the original contest message. Mind you, one of the first things I'd definitely install would be VNC...and I actually meant to make that clearer in my video, but forgot a bit of text screen. Ah well!

Anyway - congrats to the other finalists (and I was surprised by a few videos that didn't make the cut too!), and good luck to everyone. And if whoever wins already owns a N800, I'll buy it off of you. ;)

-Jennifer

[Hedgecore]

jdsemma: Actually I was talking about PDF viewing and website browsing in this case. ;) Yours was one of my top 5 picks :) There are a billion different websites that can do a billion different things, but it's still web browsing. You definately went beyond that and showed daily use so, *thumbs up*.

* Oh and someone mentioned people having tonnes of hardware already... my two cents (C'mon, everyone has an opinion!)... it's a contest, not a charity. :)

[uNtouched]

I really didn't watch many of the videos, and I know the person I'm about to mention has to be humble about it...but how in hell did Hedgecore not make it!?

Don't get me wrong, as bad as I wanted the n810 and as much as I wanted to make finals (to get that bubble wrap keychain)...I knew realistically that my entry was just a guinea pig and that it didn't have a shot in hell...but I was actually hoping Hedgecore would make finals. He did a better job at demonstrating my idea than I did....wow...

Most ideas in the finals are based on just using the internet tablet for what it is....an internet tablet.

[icerabbit]

I recast my vote on the same person; as it was lost when the thread locked.

I'm still puzzled by the motorcycle entry - no offense to joedavi. I just can't wrap my head around the judges all voting for that entry. Maybe if I had only shown one thing - namely in long detail how I do some free pc support; do volunteer forum administration and webdesign help using the tablet in different places ... I could've edged in??? ;)

Anyway. It is a very tough choice and it is the olympic spirit that counts and the 5 judges limited to whom we could vote on. So that's it.

Hedgecore, thanks for the validation :) I'm stunned that your video is not in it, you were one of my top 5. (video, multiple use highlights, some fun, good flow, brief). I'm still laughing about your scene with internet banking and liking your dialog approach, where mine was limited to just myself and internet interactions. Waking up the girlfriend through VNC was cool too. I left VNC out myself because, well, my VNC use is just boring and I couldn't think of a creative angle.

JDSemma, you were one of my top 5. Good story. Creative approach with daughter's drawings.

As well as ninjatuned. Very creative. Good story, etc. I thought I was pretty artistic as a kid and could draw well but you're running circles around me. Good job.

PCkicktalk. I found the video too long. It had a good start, then faded ... into a documentary. Great footage though. Pro recording gear and editor. I do think the tablet is too restrictive for his idea. Content creators - from what I've seen - use laptops, whether they use it for video on the go or not. The multitude of activities, pictures and communications, typing ... I think the tablet would be an additional product to go with the gear. Not a replacement. Regarding the local people ... I would probably go OLPC as well.

SunWalker. Was not one of my top 5. It was edged out by some others - I guess on the creative aspect. But, I do understand the need and use for him. As I've taken to downsizing, taken the tablet on the road, have maps on it, looked into blogging from it, etc. To just have one or two cameras, a tablet and some necessities to go hiking, backpacking, ... leaving the laptop at home. Good luck in your travels. Keep us posted. Would love to check in on you as you're on the road.

I did also like the 'cold war spy device'. Very neat angle. Last part with the scroll text for future uses, I would've changed. Maybe done a couple shots where these uses are simulated. But I understand logistics and time.

Dr office. Very nice video & editing. Still curious about that early appointment hour ;) Practically speaking the IT could and would be a great device probably, unfortunately the medical market has solutions that run windows or in its compact form win mobile + palm + blackberry. Getting it native as a do-all device for a medical practice, while I believe it can be done, would be a massive undertaking. I would look into a windows tablet.

There were some others I liked as well. Like the other cold war era and the tablet for the girlfriend in South America.

So, it stings a little not to see certain clips in the top 5. Regardless of a single highlight or showing multiple use ... everything in the final 5 revolves around the same basic uses. Which then makes one run in a circle again as to how/what/...

Anyhow. I don't want to set a negative tone. Would have loved to be #5. My vote is in again. Carry on.

[wazd]

The «Communist one» was one of the most creative and unique videos in contest. I'm shocked that he's not in finalists list =( Pitty, really.

[uNtouched]

You guys aren't talking about this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTNzcL_d9wk) are you?...cause if you are, you've got to be shitting me.

[wazd]

Nah =)) That's my crap =))) It doesn't deserve any price =) I've made it for 5 or 6 hours cause I haven't got PC for any long
(Thanks for my friends that borrowed me a «machine» =) )
We're talking bout another one. He's really great.
ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwGEGtexinY

[Hedgecore]

Eesh, thx for the kind words, but when there were 7 entries I thought I had a chance. There were more than 5 that *I* liked more than my own, so no surprises there. Like I said, I had fun doing it and that's what counted for me. (The quality on mine was pure crap as the lighting sucked, sound was sketchy throughout, and I had to learn how to use Kino as I went. Free video editing software = good cause it's free, but bad cause you can't do all that much). Some of the finalists confuse me, almost as if not having a pricey pet project or travel plans screwed people in the end. ;) (I think the votes are showing that.) Not to dump, I think all of them were great, but only a few I'd put in the top 5 made it. (Then again, I ain't a judge, am I.) :)

[IntrepidAnitpodean2]

#1-SunWalker2007-I think this one most holds up to the reason the contest was created, and you'd def not want to carry around a full sized laptop on your journey, even an EEE PC would probably be too bulky, I think with an N810 and an extra battery pack or two and maybe a solar charger in your backpack would do you a fine job.

I believe in the instance that Sun outlined in his video, he would be able to make the most use of the N810 and be able to promote and show the most people on his journey's of it's great features and portability.

Cheers TTgowings. That's my entry. You're right about the EEE PC. I considered it but it is far too big. When you're talking about 6 months and 2000 miles of walking every gram counts. I'm not as ruthless about weight as some hikers, who would cut their would tooth brush in half, but I try to make savings where I can. If it's alright with other forum members I'll add a little more about my trip, shoot me an email if bringing this up here is out of line. I only found out about the contest right near the end so I didn't plan out my video as well as I could have.

I'm a software developer and plan to write a little onboard app to convert the GPS data my logger is recording on to it's microSD into Google Earth's KML format. I'll then transmit these home as soon as I get to a town (up to 5 days between towns) and it'll appear on my site so people can track me as I go. I'll be taking photos too (I wish I could carry a DSLR but the weigh far too much). They'll be geotagged an uploaded to places like Flickr and Panoramio so those armchair travelers will get to see the countryside of Japan.

Power is obviously going to be an issue. With cutom batteries as Nokia has (i.e. not AAs) I can't just go into some tiny little store and buy a new one. Since I'll be writing into it every night, and turning the WiFi on when I reach civilisation I doubt one full charge would get me from town to town. I used a Solio charger for my iPod this year and there is a cable to charge Nokia phones so I should be able to use that to keep the N810 going for longer. My trail name on the PCT was "SunWalker" because of the solar panels on top of my pack.

The other obvious benefits of the N810 include a pocket translator until I get fluent in Japanese, I could use it for booking accomodation in the next city (not that I plan to hit many cities). Looking up Wikipedia articles on places I am considering visiting and loading it with Japanese Topo maps so I can navigate my way around the hillside where I'll be blazing my own trail. I didn't mention those things in my video because I just sort of thought they were obvious, that's what a internet tablet is for.

Yeah so that's me, fingers crossed I'll be updating you on my progress from the trail.

[ubuntu101]

#3-PKickTalk-I think what you're doing and have done in your filmmaking ventures is really great, but to win the N810 I don't think it'd be fair to maybe some of the other candidates. If you want an N810 maybe you could sell one or both of your MacBooks, your iPhone maybe that other phone that umpteen megapixel camera and that fine looking HD video camera.. Then you could get yourself a N810 and probaly get a doz or so OLPC's to take and give to the people you spoke about on your next trip.


I just don't think from what PKickTalk had outlined in his video, that the N810 would be the ideal product in that enviroment, I really think the OLPC would be a much better fit.



Haha. Well thanks for the support. A lot of that is borrowed gear by the way. You may be right about the OLPC for some of the ethnography and that work, but I do believe that many of the people, especially foreigners helping people in Namibia who are running those projects could benefit from N810s. ~hint hint Nokia, if you're following this contest~

But thanks for the support. I'm really impressed with all the entries. It's neat to see the broad range of uses that people have found for these devices! (and I'd love to discover some more! hehe).

By the way if anyone's interested in the work I referred to, check out: www.incef.org and www.kalaharipeoples.org
-AK

[ihavenothingprofoundtosay]

We're talking bout another one. He's really great.
ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwGEGtexinY

Aw shucks - thanks! iMovie used to be my bff, but between having a kid, working for "the Man" to support the fam, and moving away from some of my best cohorts, I'm really rusty when it comes to filmmaking. 3 or 4 years back, I could have done much better (then again, iMovie has come a long way). It feels good to have nice things said about my work (however simple it may be).

I should mention that I'm not nearly as bummed about getting in the finals as my wife was "That guy already has one!" she said when we reviewed the finalistas, then, after watching them all: "You better vote for Thomas[n1jatuned] or Jennifer[jdsemma]" *

I'm perfectly fine to have entered & been bested by such fine competition, but the best part? I've got my wife to the point where she's aware of how useful NITs can be, so my arguments for me picking up an N800 have rapidly increased in their effectiveness.

* - I'll probably get her to create a new account on her to vote for the one I didn't vote for, just to be fair - I don't think that counts as sock-puppetry.

[wazd]

Well, the only goddamn problem of pickin n800/n810 in Moscow is the price. U feel 400 bucks expensive for n810? Orly =)) We have n800 for 600 greenbacks in oficcial Nokia-Shop ))) I just trying not to think bout n810 price... Thousand?) More?))
P.S.: Most of your movie I like the sound. Very good stlysation to old chronicles =)

[loaderr]

Vote is IN, you sound so hot jenny :P OOPS!

[Benson]

I too think the anti-communist one should have made the top 5. Oh well, can't please everyone. The Nokia 550's e-mail capability was just too good.

[Benson]

Vote is IN, you sound so hot jenny!
Check at 00:08 in that video. He looks pretty tough. Not wanting beat up is the only thing that stopped me from making such a foolish (but true) assertion.

[IntrepidAnitpodean2]

Vote is IN, you sound so hot jenny :P OOPS!

Dang, I knew I should have asked someone else to front my video :p

[icerabbit]

I was going to say this afternoon that is a pretty nice race between: jdsvid - ninja - sunwalker with over a 100 votes cast. Got busy. Now checking again and things changed pretty drastically in a few hours to a 4-way race at 134 votes.

[thoughtfix]

Be aware - We're monitoring behavior for what appears to be "Register and vote for me!" stuff. While we believe our contestants to be mature enough to avoid doing this, we don't know how their fans, friends or family may behave.

[ArnimS]

I thought all the entries were really good. The commusim one was entertaining, but did not meet contest guidelines.

I liked joedavi's entry (reference for motorcycle maintenance). Having worked in a BMW shop before, i saw mechanics waste a fair amount of (expensive) shop time going back and forth between the shop computer and the car. I also liked that it was a no-nonsense no-frills video - straight-to-the point of the contest - and the only one that actually *did* show an existing tablet being used in a creative way,

That being said, I feel the best entry is the one which will be the most high-profile application, the one which will show the most potential customers the usefulness of the device and bring more users and developers into the maemo world.

...selfish as always :)

[ninjatuned]

Well if that's the case, then what should be done?

Limit votes to people who have actually posted? Lock down new membership? Or restart the whole thing?

[slingster]

To prevent manipulation, the ITT members voting results should not have been shown while the voting is still going on. With a relatively small number of votes, it's too easy to be swayed.

[yabbas]

Well if that's the case, then what should be done?

Limit votes to people who have actually posted? Lock down new membership? Or restart the whole thing?

Can't lock down new membership! And definitely not the first option because this board will get spammed with nonsense [Watch as a flurry of new people join the board and start posting ;).]


My suggestion would be to limit votes to individuals who have been members since BEFORE the contest was ever anounced a month (?) or so ago. That way vote steering will be avoided.

I'm sure most new members would understand :)

[IntrepidAnitpodean2]

My suggestion would be to limit votes to individuals who have been members since BEFORE the contest was ever anounced a month (?) or so ago. That way vote steering will be avoided.

I'm sure most new members would understand :)


This solution does sound most fair though I may be at a disadvantage since I couldn't even vote for myself.

I'd have liked to put a link up on my old blog (pct2007.org (http://pct2007.org)) so that those that read about my last trip would consider voting for me this time so they can follow along again, but that would fall under the "register and vote for me" thing that ThoughtFix just said was not cool. :-/

I guess I should cancel my order for "Vote for Craig" buttons too ;)

[thoughtfix]

Ninja: It'd be determined on a case by case basis.

[ninjatuned]

edit: whoop thoughtfix answered my question while I was posting

[Malfaiteur]

Seems like we're a more civilized bunch than a lot of other linux-involved forums. I confess, I currently wouldn't mind a little rabble rousing. Feeling a might impish at the moment >:)

[icerabbit]

Power is obviously going to be an issue. With cutom batteries as Nokia has (i.e. not AAs) I can't just go into some tiny little store and buy a new one. Since I'll be writing into it every night, and turning the WiFi on when I reach civilisation I doubt one full charge would get me from town to town. I used a Solio charger for my iPod this year and there is a cable to charge Nokia phones so I should be able to use that to keep the N810 going for longer. My trail name on the PCT was "SunWalker" because of the solar panels on top of my pack.


I've seen (no experience with them myself) little chargers that use 2AA batteries with anywhere from one cable to a series of cables for different mobile devices. I think the one I have in mind with a bunch of cables retailed for $20-30. [I can look it up if you like] Maybe that could be a complement to solar charging? And/Or backup.

[IntrepidAnitpodean2]

I've seen (no experience with them myself) little chargers that use 2AA batteries with anywhere from one cable to a series of cables for different mobile devices. I think the one I have in mind with a bunch of cables retailed for $20-30. [I can look it up if you like] Maybe that could be a complement to solar charging? And/Or backup.

I've heard of those sort but would prefer to use one device (the Solio) for all charging needs. Hopefully better for the environment in the long run and cheaper on my pocket. But I'm more worried about havfing to carry extra AAs to charge a camera, the N810 (hopefully :)) and maybe an iPod nano

http://www.solio.com/charger/explore-solio/what-is-solio.html

[icerabbit]

I understand.

The N800 does last a good while on a charge. It takes a while before the first and second bar dim out. Then it seems to drain pretty rapid. If you keep the screen on the dimmer side (N810 has some automatic sensor, not sure what the manual control is) and keep wifi & bluetooth off ... you could go a while between recharging.

I tend to turn mine off entirely if I really need to keep the charge (as in out and about) as I've found certain sites to keep it awake (didn't load completely? certain scripts or flash keep running?) and get activated when there's pressure on the little soft pouch ... in jacket or bag while walking.

So, if you can charge a nano in a day on solar. You can probably alternate day to day. Or top up both with half a day. Weather permitting.

[thoughtfix]

If you saw tabletblog.com today - I found a USB battery and a USB -> Nseries tip adapter. Based on the watt-hours, it should take it to 9 hours of browsing time.

[slip]

Perhaps someone from Nokia is watching and can offer the non-winning finalists the developer discount for their efforts. These videos are great promotions for the N810, showing real life uses instead of just glossy moving product shots.

I was truly impressed with "n1njatuned"'s animation and concept. Made me think about the story of the teenager who made an iPod touch ad that Apple liked so much they flew him out to an ad agency to make a production-quality version. http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/apple/apple-to-run-ipod-touch-admade-by-a-teen-fanboy-315788.php
With a little tightening up, it could be a great spot.

[joeD]

I thought all the entries were really good. The commusim one was entertaining, but did not meet contest guidelines.

I liked joedavi's entry (reference for motorcycle maintenance). Having worked in a BMW shop before, i saw mechanics waste a fair amount of (expensive) shop time going back and forth between the shop computer and the car. I also liked that it was a no-nonsense no-frills video - straight-to-the point of the contest - and the only one that actually *did* show an existing tablet being used in a creative way,

That being said, I feel the best entry is the one which will be the most high-profile application, the one which will show the most potential customers the usefulness of the device and bring more users and developers into the maemo world.

...selfish as always :)


Thanks ArnimS! That's the only positive thing I've read about my video response in this thread. It seems there are some really bitter feelings out tthere about the finalists. I would like to thank the judges for considering me one of the top five amongst so many very creative videos. I submitted my most original use for my tablet, and that's with my motorcycle. I don't know of many geeks that like gadgets and are mecanics too. Having my internet tablet has been extremely handy in my daily life. Sometimes I wonder how I got along without it before. Good luck to everyone!!!

[Hedgecore]

I don't think anyone was really being bitter. Some people flat out said they didn't think it should've made it, but I see that as their honest opinion, not bitterness. :)

[icerabbit]

Mechanic with a tablet is fine with me. You are correct in that you are probably pretty unique in using a tablet for your motorcycle specs. You submitted your best use. I've got a dozen instructional pdfs & manuals on my tablet too - so that by itself is not unique. When I'm working on anything that is motorized; I can't keep my hands clean enough to use the tablet. I need a printout. In the construction realm of things: it is not rugged enough. I've got for instance manuals to build greenhouses. It is good as an extra reference, if you only need to look up one or two things along the way. Any more than that and you're better with paper. It can't be used directly in the line of construction & mechanics as far as I'm concerned. It is too delicate, will get damaged, etc.

Your entry fit the bill for the giveaway. Some people just happen to think there were better entries to get spot number #5 and I think the 4-way race shows that. That's the way it is.

No hard feelings.

Would love to catch up an talk about bikes & tablets. Check out your bike. Swap stories. If we were living in the same vicinity.

[Benson]

Joe, if it makes you feel better, you would have been my second choice. Too bad we don't run preferential voting here...

[thoughtfix]

Worst case scenario for you, Joe, is that you're number 5 out of 32! Of particular note during finalist deliberation was how you kept going back to the central theme of using the internet tablet to help with your day-to-day life.

Again - determining finalists was HARD, but we had to do something. I encourage other users to visit the other videos, rate them, comment on them, and learn from what others do as well.

[icerabbit]

I saw every entry at least once, because I watched them all back to back on Saturday with my wife. I rated my favorite 10 or so.

Curious who will win, so I'm keeping an eye on the voting.

[joeD]

Thanks for the words Thoughtfix. By the way, I've been a big fan of your blog for a while now, keep up the good work! I truly am flattered to be among the top five, this is true, but I also wish my video was competing a little more shall I say fiercly with others, but I'm alright with where it's at. I gave it my best, and the judges saw my video response as fitting the contest criteria...thanks! Who knows, maybe by Friday some people will have a change of heart. (finger's crossed) Thanks for the contest Thoughtfix, this was fun to show off how cool internet tablets are, the most important thing I think.

[ubuntu101]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXcC204XO6g

A number of people I've talked to mentioned that they liked the ad at the end of my entry (Pkicktalk) with the disappearing gadgets, but thought it shouldn't be at the end.... I don't disagree, so I posted it as its own entity on YouTube if anyone wants to just check that out!

I was thinking last night about some of the technology I've seen in developing countries and it would be neat to hear some dialogue. It seems to me that in most places, besides with the introduction recently of the OLPC that technology gets passed onto developing communities in 3rd world countries. There's a huge market for technology in the world, and it seems silly that countries aren't developing and marketing to some of those places. I thought the Motofone F3 was a neat product, http://www.motorola.com/consumer/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=d3649b8c43224110VgnVCM10000082 06b00aRCRD&show=productHome , but I don't think it took off too well.

I talk to people on facebook, email and skype in Africa as I mention in my video entry, but a statistic in "The Economist" said that the total number of people with internet access in all of Africa is similar to the number in Ireland. There are 800 million people in Africa! But think about this. One of the biggest growing industries in Africa has been the cell phone market. Countries couldn't afford the infrastructure of landlines, and so cell phones have rocketed in sales. People who never had phones now can call me in Cleveland, Ohio. It's pretty crazy. So will Web 2.0 have the same effect as cell phones, thus skipping Web 1.0 just as landline phones never took off?

There are a number of fiber optic initiatives in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans to build capacity, and wimax had potential in Africa, but what uses of technology can be developed for 3rd world countries? Micro-financing has taken off because of the internet and there's a lot of potential for more. I think the technology is around, but what software can be useful for what? It's only fair for everyone in the world to have the same opportunities, and that's the beauty of the internet... it's an equal platform!

Just something to think about . . . Good luck voting for those of you that are still thinking about this!
-Aaron

[uNtouched]

I don't know if you were referring to me as the bitter one, because I'm not, if I REALLY wanted to win the N810, I would have had my girl in the video with her 38DDs (no she's not fat)...or have her make the video herself, and I would have had my cake and eaten it too...I just entered to enter...just wanted to clear things up. Everyone has their opinion...it's not a matter of fact, but I don't like the top 5 choices...it's just my opinion.

[icerabbit]

Nah. They're probably talking about me ;)

We all entered knowing we most likely would walk away empty handed and had a very remote chance (1/entries) of winning the grand prize.

The other reality is that anybody here who really wants an N810, can get one. It may take saving/budgeting for a while, but if it is a must have, then device is out there, available for purchase today. (some markets later).

Maybe the overall voting system will be different next time. Like: Only judges and people who participate get to vote on all entries submitted with a hidden vote tally. Safe and secure. Could do an initial round to pick 5 finalists. Then have every participant cast gets a chance to vote a second time to pick between the most popular 5. Or let every participant select their top 3 of all entries. Tally up the points. Done.

[icerabbit]

A number of people I've talked to mentioned that they liked the ad at the end of my entry (Pkicktalk) with the disappearing gadgets,

I agree that the 'ad' at the end you did was very well done. I should view it again.

[Benson]

if I REALLY wanted to win the N810, I would have had my girl in the video with her 38DDs (no she's not fat)

I hope there's another contest soon, one you do REALLY want to win. ;)

[IntrepidAnitpodean2]

The other reality is that anybody here who really wants an N810, can get one. It may take saving/budgeting for a while, but if it is a must have, then device is out there, available for purchase today. (some markets later).

I just cheked with Nokia New Zealand and they have no current plans to sell it here. I assume they mean they will sell it later they just don't plan to sell it now. They also didn't know, or wouldn't tell me, their plans for the rest of the Asia/Pacific region. Maybe I should tell them that I'll show it off to people as I go, maybe they'd give me a discount for promoting it :rolleyes:

[Louie]

This quote had me thinking. If Nokia was watching, it would be great PR if they were to give all the entries free N810s just for entering. I'm sure that the free advertising and the word of mouth about Nokia's generosity would pay off in greater sales of the N810.
It would literally only cost Nokia, who earned 41.7 B Euro (http://www.nokia.com/NOKIA_COM_1/Press/Press_Events/Q4_and_2006_annual_results/Press_Conference_Presentation.pdf)in 2006, a drop in the bucket in costs.
You couldn't buy advertising such as this and I'm sure the Youtube community as well as tech sites would hype the Nokia name even more so if this were to occur.
This is all just wishful thinking from me. Enjoyed the entire contest and all the entries. All are winners in my book. They all show just how versatile the N810 is and all the varied uses for this device.

Perhaps someone from Nokia is watching and can offer the non-winning finalists the developer discount for their efforts. These videos are great promotions for the N810, showing real life uses instead of just glossy moving product shots.

[Malfaiteur]

Aaron, I really want to like you. Honest. It seems that you are doing great things out there in Africa and are genuinely interested in helping the people there. However, your posts and your video kind of strike me as a little self-serving. I dunno if it's a subconscious thing or what.

You're right about the ad part, that is pretty good. As an ad. But at the same time it was something that turned me off of your video. Instead of being what you would use the N810 for, it became promotional. Granted I know J-squat about movie making; perhaps it is habitual to documentary film production.

Hopefully that doesn't all sound bitter and whatnot. I was pretty darn sure I wasn't going to make the top 5 after so many great entries. My top pick is actually in the top 5 now so that's good. I'm pulling for 'em. I guess that doesn't mean I couldn't still be bitter...you'll just have to take my word, I suppose, for whatever worth that might be here online.

Here's to hoping some of that daydreaming comes to light :D, for that is partly why we are here no? To discuss the things we want in all their geekish splendor, to dream purchance to purchase. Ah well. Perhaps, in some parallel universe, all the entrants DO get a free tablet...

~!M

[icerabbit]

Many share the same dream, regarding Nokia stepping in with something.

The entries to thoughtfix's contest have already received more attention and brought it on the minds of thousands of people through word of mouth. That's many more than any advertising Nokia has done ... which hasn't even reached mainstream technology publications, or even specialty ones, as far as I can see.

I have people talking to me about the N800 & N810 internet tablets (due to creating the video and/or telling them about the little video on youtube) and its uses similar to when the iphone was announced and released.

I had one person literally asking me "Please, don't show x, as he will have to have one" !!

Imagine how far the news would travel if Nokia jumped in, with a last minute surprise.

And, if they decided to use some of the participants for an online ad campaign? Have every participant highlight their main use, or one of the general uses in their vicinity. Such an ad would circle the globe in less than an hour via the internet. Take some of the elements from people's entries. Such move & video probably would get picked up by the national news media as well, as one the feel good stories. Nearly cost free global reach without advertising. (small in advertising $ budget perspective, small # of handhelds and a few pro people plus logistics working on the polished ad, with volunteer actors (us) )

Now, that would be something, wouldn't it :)

[sachin007]

Many share the same dream, regarding Nokia stepping in with something.

The entries to thoughtfix's contest have already received more attention and brought it on the minds of thousands of people through word of mouth. That's many more than any advertising Nokia has done ... which hasn't even reached mainstream technology publications, or even specialty ones, as far as I can see.

I have people talking to me about the N800 & N810 internet tablets (due to creating the video and/or telling them about the little video on youtube) and its uses similar to when the iphone was announced and released.

I had one person literally asking me "Please, don't show x, as he will have to have one" !!

Imagine how far the news would travel if Nokia jumped in, with a last minute surprise.

And, if they decided to use some of the participants for an online ad campaign? Have every participant highlight their main use, or one of the general uses in their vicinity. Such an ad would circle the globe in less than an hour via the internet. Take some of the elements from people's entries. Such move & video probably would get picked up by the national news media as well, as one the feel good stories. Nearly cost free global reach without advertising. (small in advertising $ budget perspective, small # of handhelds and a few pro people plus logistics working on the polished ad, with volunteer actors (us) )

Now, that would be something, wouldn't it :)

Yeah ill give you a second to wake up from your dream...................


Ok i hope you are back. The irony is that even thought fix's price which he is giving away is not being sponsored by nokia.

Now you can dream again. Sorry for the interuption. Nice idea for advertising though!!

[wazd]

You may call me a nerd or something, but I think PKickTalk is cheating with votes. I'm very sorry if it's not. But it very looks like. Sorry again.
P.S.: The idea of giving free n810 for all participants is really amusing =)) And Nokia should definitly pay 2 week vacation to Finland. And a car =) It shoud cost nothing for a 40b dollars company xD

[icerabbit]

RE: wazd. --- Thoughtfix and the admins are keeping an eye on it.

RE: sachin007 --- Most certainly thoughtfix deserves a ton of credit for paying for the main prize out of pocket and capturing so many people's attention, getting people to participate, vote and learn more about the device.

They say good things happen to good people.

So, back to that daydream and positive ideas getting picked up :)

[videolink]

I just wanted to ask how the voting is being monitored for this contest. It seems like anyone can create multiple user names and log in repeatedly to cast more than one vote. I initially registered here as videolink after the finalists were announced. I waited and waited for my email confirmation which only came today. In the meantime, I thought that I would miss the voting deadline and that my registration request got lost so I reregistered using the name Louie where I posted above. I voted using Louie, but don't worry, I won't vote again, but what is to stop others from trying this. With my Internet provider, I'm given 7 email accounts. I'm not accusing anyone, just pointing out a possible flaw with the voting process. Also, I think it might have been better not to have allowed us to see the voting tallies until after the voting was closed. Knowing that someone is in the lead could affect how some people vote, as some wouldn't want to back a loser or a last place entry as they may see that as wasting a vote.

[Hedgecore]

When the voting first opened (the poll that was cancelled when it got moved to the news section), that entry skyrocketed to around 10 immediately and that was close to midnight eastern time. When it shot up again in the new poll, it was around that time again. Could just be that people in a certain timezone are liking the content.

That was one thing I liked, entries spilled in from around the world. Not all North America-centric content. (Mind you I would've LOVED to see an English football hooligan show how well the 770 would work when thrown at the head of a fan of the other team because he ran out of darts and celery.)

[icerabbit]

That's how the open vote idea over the internet is problematic or downright flawed. The poll probably doesn't give any info, but it is possible to verify new user activity, check new registrations, IP addresses, ... around the reported voting spikes.

[icerabbit]

LOL @ hooligan clip idea

Anyhow. Back to work, now ;)

[ninjatuned]

That was one thing I liked, entries spilled in from around the world. Not all North America-centric content. (Mind you I would've LOVED to see an English football hooligan show how well the 770 would work when thrown at the head of a fan of the other team because he ran out of darts and celery.)

*horrible cockney accent* Right, when yer a punta tossin yah n770 yah want ta make sure yah git enough spin tah really knock that pooftah on his arse. Tah more advanced technique involves usin yah suspendahs as a kinda slingshot to git that chav real good. *ends horrible accent*

[Hedgecore]

Mates, I think we *all* sorely chose the wrong entry idea. ;) Buncha wankers.

[icerabbit]

Yep. Misunderstood the contest, created the wrong clip ;) voted on the wrong person ;) and thought voting ...

But it is a nice tight race :) With three exciting days to go :)

Desperately need to get my head checked out ;) Need help ... Must find shrink. LOL

[Hedgecore]

I meant I should've gotten my braces out, donned by best Guinness t-shirt, and started slingshotting my 770 at grimy Liverpool fans. :)

[IntrepidAnitpodean2]

*horrible cockney accent* Right, when yer a punta tossin yah n770 yah want ta make sure yah git enough spin tah really knock that pooftah on his arse. Tah more advanced technique involves usin yah suspendahs as a kinda slingshot to git that chav real good. *ends horrible accent*

That is by far the best 'orrible cockney accent I have ever read.:D

[ninjatuned]

That is by far the best 'orrible cockney accent I have ever read.:D

blimey! :p

[Texrat]

All decent entries, but IMO jdsvid had the best presentation style, which is what really defines a good production. Her narration was impeccable, and I enjoyed the visuals. Nice work!

[jdsemma]

All decent entries, but IMO jdsvid had the best presentation style, which is what really defines a good production. Her narration was impeccable, and I enjoyed the visuals. Nice work!

Aw, thank you! The video quality wasn't too high (stupid WMM), but for the audio, I used my husband's podcasting setup. Of course I had to rerecord several times because I kept tripping over my own tongue!

In spite of the scads of friends I could probably get to come vote for me, I've refrained. If I win, great! If not, I'll save my pennies for the N800 most likely; the N810 is quite a bit beyond my budget. That's the stay-at-home-mom thing -- if I went back to work, I'd get hit with a massive daycare bill for the two kids in exchange for a bit more spending money. Doable, maybe, but I'd rather spend more time with the kids (and husband, I suppose!), even if it means less extra spending money. Ah well. :)

But I have to say, this contest HAS brought more awareness of the Nokia N8xx products to my friends, family, and other acquaintances. I literally stumbled across the device's existance due to the randomness of engadget, leading me to Dan's blog. Certainly it would be great if Nokia saw fit to recognize some or even all of the video entries with a free (or even developer-priced!) N810, but I'm not holding my breath.

-Jennifer

[Hedgecore]

We just did a bunch of free advertising for them... why would they waste that by equalling things out with product giveaways? :)

(There are some things allowed in my bed... my girlfriend, the cats, but certainly not corporations.) :cool:

[Texrat]

We just did a bunch of free advertising for them... why would they waste that by equalling things out with product giveaways? :)

At least none of us are walking around wearing "Nokia IT" tee shirts. :D

Can't speak for my youngest son, who had to wear his maemo shirt when he visited me at work Monday...

[Hedgecore]

At least he dodged the booth with the hot coals and the Nokia brand. A forehead's a terrible thing to waste. :)

[basco]

I liked the motorcycle one. I use it for the same thing. Also its difficult to bring a laptop around on trips on a motorcycle.

[IntrepidAnitpodean2]

I liked the motorcycle one. I use it for the same thing. Also its difficult to bring a laptop around on trips on a motorcycle.

The few times I have worked on my bike (I prefer to get a pro to meddle with something which such potential for death and destruction) my hands have been far too dirty to touch my beloved electronics. Do you wipe before returning to the keyboard or do you just not stick your fingers into the greasy bits?

[Hedgecore]

Probably has a 'Sunday' stylus and a greasy one. :)

[cat_the_marauder]

grrrr, why is Pkicktalk winning? honestly i don't think he deserves to win, especially as he's some fancy documentary person. he probably has enough cash to buy his own damn tablet. /bitter poor person

[basco]

The few times I have worked on my bike (I prefer to get a pro to meddle with something which such potential for death and destruction) my hands have been far too dirty to touch my beloved electronics. Do you wipe before returning to the keyboard or do you just not stick your fingers into the greasy bits?

If you have to ask then you are right to have someone else work on your bike. :D

[ArnimS]

This quote had me thinking. If Nokia was watching, it would be great PR if they were to give all the entries free N810s just for entering. I'm sure that the free advertising and the word of mouth about Nokia's generosity would pay off in greater sales of the N810.

I just think it's worth noting here that Nokia has just given away 500 N810 discounts with an average value of roughly 400 dollars (depends on end-price, currency exchange rates etc). That's 200,000 dollars of generosity - on ONE product.

[Malfaiteur]

I just think it's worth noting here that Nokia has just given away 500 N810 discounts with an average value of roughly 400 dollars (depends on end-price, currency exchange rates etc). That's 200,000 dollars of generosity - on ONE product.

So what's another 31 tablet's worth of generosity :D??

I'm with you Cat. Honestly more than a little surprised at our current leader. Hedge mentioned this isn't a charity (didn't he? Or did someone else...) and that's true. Really it's Thoughtfix's money so however he wants to do the contest is fine. But I must say it does seem wrong that our man the movie dude is ahead.

~!M

[Hedgecore]

It was cynical, it was me. That's a $200,000 investment in what would otherwise be much more in development. The free apps that prop up the tablets are doing a lot to sell more than the 500 discounted ones.

[Psylent]

A number of people I've talked to mentioned that they liked the ad at the end of my entry (Pkicktalk) with the disappearing gadgets, but thought it shouldn't be at the end.... I don't disagree, so I posted it as its own entity on YouTube if anyone wants to just check that out!

I was sleeping in when the finalists were being announced and when I went to see your video it appeared to be just that advert. Thankfully it didn't change my vote, but I thought you should know.

250 votes, even if all the original candidates have told their friends and family and most of them actually listened, is probably not going to be that much interest to Nokia if I were to bet on it.

As for "next time", I think there are a number of good suggestions, such as not showing the results until voting has closed, or new members not voting. But hey, new members means more publicity and I can't blame anyone for siding with that.

[IntrepidAnitpodean2]

It was cynical, it was me. That's a $200,000 investment in what would otherwise be much more in development. The free apps that prop up the tablets are doing a lot to sell more than the 500 discounted ones.

Speaking of apps. Has anyone seen a good maemo one for converting between GPS formats. Like NMEA to GPX or KML. I'm hoping to do conversion before emailing files home (or ftping them to a webserver). I found a "Maemo App" site the other day, but it was more reviewing the device than actually lisitng available applications.

[Hedgecore]

http://maemo.org/downloads/OS2007

???

[YoDude]

I'm surprised the library dude isn't doing better. Presumably he has multiple internet access terminals readily available and an entire student body he could tap for gratuitous votes.

[Hedgecore]

Very odd growth spurts, it'd be really interesting to go over that back end data. ;)

[ninjatuned]

I'm surprised the library dude isn't doing better. Presumably he has multiple internet access terminals readily available and an entire student body he could tap for gratuitous votes.

Yep. I could have. But I didn't because this isn't supposed to be a "Register and vote for me!" contest.

[Hedgecore]

And beisdes, I voted for you, so you can always cherish that.

<3 Hedge

:p

[ihavenothingprofoundtosay]

RE: Offical Nokia contest and

As for "next time", I think there are a number of good suggestions

*drool* I SOOOooo want there to be a next time - this was loads of fun, and have a ton of great ideas. It would be terrific if Nokia did a more official version of this contest - but I also think it's unlikely. Giving out the discounts on the N810 was pretty generous, so it's probably not gonna happen. Still, if Nokia wants to expand the market for the NIT, having user created content showing what they can do is a great way to get people interested.

This contest? AWESOME - Huzzah for thoughtfix!

- - -

Results coming soon, eh? Go Thomas!

Is anyone else more interested in this contest than they are in most sporting events? (save for football hooliganery, of course :D )

[thoughtfix]

In the original contest announcement, it was my intention for the internet tablet community to pick the winner. While I welcome the new community members, I am afraid a good number of people registered with the exclusive purpose of voting for their friend in this contest. It is for this reason that I am making a change.

I apologize, but all votes made by users who joined these forums after 11/17 will be scrubbed from the database. Additionally, the contest results will be hidden until the voting is complete. This comes as a reaction to both vote tallies, analysis of the registration date/post count of voters, and to community concerns.

I do appreciate the attention that others are bringing to this contest. It's a good thing. Also - Voting is extended until the 29th to give additional users a chance to vote. Thank you all for participating.

[videolink]

I wish I had known about this forum when I put my video up on youtube. I would have registered. Now I can only sit back and watch without being a part of the voting process. Too bad, although I don't blame you thoughtfix. I feel that this is a change for the best.
For the record, I originally voted for SunWalker2007. As I have travelled/backpaced extensively in the past, the idea of his trip intrigued me and I thought of how useful an N810 would have been when I was on my travels.

[ninjatuned]

Thanks for the cheers and votes hedgecore and ihavenothingprofoundtosay.

Thanks of course to thoughtfix. I hope this hasn't gone from a great idea to a bad headache.

Another week to wait? Arrrrrgh. But it's a small price to pay to have a fair contest for everyone.

[Hedgecore]

In regards to voting for your own video... assume that everyone would vote for their own (it's only logical... hell, I would've.) That pretty much negates 1 vote for each submission across the board which ends up being equal whether you allow new members to vote or not.

Secondly, for the people that *are* new here... I don't think you're going to see any favouritism from old crusty people. Content's content. :)

*Edit: I guess if you were an existing member in the top 5 you could've voted for yourself now that I think about it. It's amazing what people will do for free things. I went to the vegetarian food fair here in Toronto a few years back and people were parked by all the free samples gulping them down saying how real meat tasted better (Fake meat... c'mon... there's SO much more out there than trying to mimic what ya gave up.) When I left people were stampeding out the door to the hotdog vendors on the street and saying things like "oh my god, give me two sausages... mmmMM *Home Simpson eating sounds*"

AND. Now that I also think about it. Dan. You're doing what you can to run a straight and fair contest. Kudos to you sir. (Things like that keep making me click on your ads every day) ;)

[IntrepidAnitpodean2]

Yeah I guess this is the fairest way. Better to have an exact rule than a case-by-case basis which leaves things open for interpretation.

Last night when it looked like the voting was over I decided that if I won I'd remake my video showing the N810 in use. I didn't have much time on my first go because I found out about the competition one day and only had that evening spare to do it, so this time I'd have scenes, show my workflow of photos, GPS and blog. I even got to the point of picking a place in Auckland where all the shop windows are in Chienese/Korean/Japanese so I could pretend I was walking through Japan using my new device.

Oh well, it sucks that I can't even vote for myself but hey, I didn't have a N810 last week, I probably won't have one next week, nothing lost. Thanks ThoughtFix and co. for at least putting me in the top 5 and kudos to Jennifer for not getting swept away in device lust (greed?) like I did.

[thoughtfix]

Stop giving me kudos. I just had an idea. It's those 32 people who took the ideas and made real, creative works out of it that should all get pats on the back. The five finalists have fantastic videos and, in different ways, all show how valuable a device like this can be. They're attracting more attention to the concepts so consumers, hackers like us, manufacturers, and developers of the future all have better ideas on how too move forward.

I'll tell you what: THIS blogger is helped quite a bit by seeing the entries. Perhaps I can gather more sponsorship for the next contest (after CES is paid off?) and make it easier than the video creation. I have something in mind but need prizes first.

This was the toughest thing I've had to do as a business owner so far. Taxes next year will top it off. ;) After the first time, it gets easier. Hush, you pervert. I wasn't talking about THAT. ;)

[sanixo]

I'm the guy who made the video about the doctor, and I guess my vote was scrubbed because I registered a few days ago..? Thoughtfix - you said you extended the vote to the 29th.. so will we newbies be able to revote?- and SunWalker - I voted/will vote for you!

[Jobester]

Nice videos everyone!

Really hard to choose, ended up voting for PKickTalk because (to me) seemed like he'd have the most fun with it

[thoughtfix]

I'm the guy who made the video about the doctor, and I guess my vote was scrubbed because I registered a few days ago..? Thoughtfix - you said you extended the vote to the 29th.. so will we newbies be able to revote?- and SunWalker - I voted/will vote for you!

Since there is no way for us to know who registered as a new community member or who registered to vote for their friends/family, I can't make exceptions. I brought your video to the table on finalist discussion though! I have a marked weakness for the medical profession as my mother is a nurse practitioner and my dad (stepfather) worked in pharmaceutical manufacturing/design for some time. I just accepted a job for a hospice care provider as their Linux systems administrator and am very proud to contribute to medicine even in my geeky way. I start Monday.

[Malfaiteur]

Heh, votes from Hedgecore are cherishable.

*Edit* Hmm...apparently 'refresh' isn't foolproof, as when I posted this Hedgecore's comment was the last in line.

I have a hard time picking between n1nja and sunwalker, they're my favorites. I guess I prefer ninjas by a small margin. If either of you win then I'll be pleased :)

If PKick wins I'll be bummed. C'est la guerre

~!M

[factiatriplethree333]

I bet people who registered and voted had a better chance of being a part of this community before they were told their votes meant nothing. Is it really fair to change the rules right after voting has ended? Or to suddenly explain what the point of this contest was. Why does it matter?

[glyphery]

Ah, that's a shame; I guess I should have registered a few days earlier, but nothing for it now. For the record, my vote was for SunWalker2007 and no, I am not some best mate of his trying to pad the votes. In fact, I was working on my own entry to the contest but got discouraged when I saw that (perhaps unsurprisingly) some of my ideas for it overlapped with recently-uploaded submissions. Anyway, I no longer have any way of viewing the current tallies thanks to the vote wipe, but I assume the woman with the cute kid will win, as that's the most predictable outcome.

[Hedgecore]

I think the reason I give Dan kudos isn't necessarily because of this insane contribution to the community - - it's moreso that he put himself in this spot. Sucker. :D

Guys, I'm a data analyst by trade. I eat data for breakfast, massage it for brunch, ETL it for lunch, crunch it for afternoon tea, and deliver a polished log (pun intended!) for dinner. Data is also very high in calories, which explains my appearance. I digress. I refreshed a few times a day and watched the votes change. I don't know the reasoning for a lot of it, but the trends were disturbing as Dan (who actually had the data) pointed out. I don't buy that certain time zones (thay may or may not be local to the people garnering the votes) are naturally predispositioned for certain content.

I know that feelings of exclusion might be high right now being told your vote doesn't count, but what would you have him do? Being around here for a while, there people here are fair. The only time I've ever seen the board as a whole team up against someone was when they were deliberately being a poop-disturber (damn you censorship) and deserved it.

I guess what I'd like to say, is that if you want those feelings of exclusion to go away, stick around for a while. We're a pretty eccentric bunch here. (TexRat, for example, is a 7 foot 2 inch Turkish punk rocker with a 2 foot neon green fan mohawk and plays the squeeze box in a band that uses an actual ring tailed lemur as their drummer.)

*edit: If you're gonna vote on the video with the kid, c'mon... do it based on the contest criteria, not out of sympathy/charity/gender/etc. reasons. :cool:

[YoDude]

We're a pretty eccentric bunch here. (TexRat, for example, is a 7 foot 2 inch Turkish punk rocker with a 2 foot neon green fan mohawk and plays the squeeze box in a band that uses an actual ring tailed lemur as their drummer.)
:cool:


You forgot to mention he likes to wear purple, snake skin cowboy boots and most of the times has his pet boa constrictor draped around his neck...

... and I always thought he was Ukrainian.


http://blog.wired.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/04/06/3minervillageinrussia.jpg

Enjoying a day off...

[Fionn]

The guys choosing the finalists had a tough job. I liked DentalHTcorp's (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lq8InDh9vm0), theicerabbit's (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFLz9skxOvI) and sjgadsby's (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84SWBlk_me8) entries but none made the final :(.

Hedgecore should get a prize just for coming out of the bathroom with his tablet :p but alas his video is now gone or at least I couldn't find it.

Some of the video's submitted did make excessive claims for the tablet. For example it would never be chosen to be used in a medical environment - the slowness of data input for one thing would count against it and it's also not robust enough and when you also consider that you cannot add medical applications to it then it's obviously a non-runner.

There's a reason Nokia have positioned the tablet as an N-Series device and not an E-series device - it simply does not stand up to the requirments of a business environment.

joedavi's motorbike entry (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkmEBwe78Tc) didn't impress me initially but, on review, I thought it was the best response from the finalists to Thoughtfix's original specification for the competition i.e. show how you've integrated the tablet into your life and thus it got my vote.

Oh and major kudos to Thoughtfix for running the competition and paying for the prize out of his own pocket.

[jdsemma]

*edit: If you're gonna vote on the video with the kid, c'mon... do it based on the contest criteria, not out of sympathy/charity/gender/etc. reasons. :cool:

You're just jealous. ;)

I came up with all sort of ways I would use the N810, that I ultimately cut from the video because they're fairly esoteric to most people. That little bit I kept in here about the Society for Creative Anachronism? It's a world-wide organization with over 30,000 members. Being that we're often at campsites, electricity isn't always easy to come by; and I often don't want to bring along a laptop in case of bad weather, and it's way too big to be unobtrusive (I don't really have theft concerns). Back when I was still toting around my little Visor PDA, it was darned useful at events. See, I'm a big heraldry geek -- that's coats of arms and stuff, and who outranks who in the award structure and so on. There's only so much of that I can keep memorized at once, and it's far far easier to look something up electronically than to carry around 1500+ pages (no I am not kidding) of printout -- or worse yet, to have to say "Uh, sorry Your Majesty, but can you email me when you get home and ask?" :)

Yeah, it's darned geeky, and pretty nerdy to boot....

-Jennifer

[Hedgecore]

jdsemma: Y'know, if you made a steampunk case design for it, you might be able to get away with it (or mount it in a crystal ball or something). ;)

(Oh, and I took my entry down now that I'm done with it. I never show my face on the internet in the hopes I can still drop off the grid some day.) :)

*edit: Oh, and I'm glad someone realized that bathroom thing, I didn't think the flush was loud enough, hahahah.

[Texrat]

*slaps Hedgie with a large trout*

Seriously, though, to me Jennifer's entry best fit the spirit of the contest among the finalists-- but there were nonfinalists who, IMO, got that part down well enough to be finalists.

But ever since I quit running from girls I've understood that the world is a very subjective place and you just can't quantify raw opinions, no matter WHAT data analysts like Hedgie and I might swear. We just say otherwise to make Marketing folks go away. ;)

[IntrepidAnitpodean2]

SunWalker2007 (because he really "looks" like he need one)...but what would he use it for after his 5 months trip...
After the walk I plan to settle down in a fairly small town to teach English, it's the most marketable skill I'll have over there. I doubt my Japanese will be fluent at that stage because I won't be talking that much while I walk alone in the hills so I'll need some help translating. I follow JapanesePod101.com for weekly lessons and having device to retrieve those lessons is essential. I'll still be keeping a blog of my integration into society there and I'll still be looking up Google Maps for views of local walking tracks. I don't think a laptop would be suitable, even a little EEE PC. With a Solio and a Nokia power cable (http://store.solio.com/s.nl/it.A/id.149/.f) I'll be free to take off and roam where I want to, capturing my musing as I go and not having to knock on doors for a power socket. I do intend to make daily use of the tablet when I'm done and would choose it over a laptop which is never going to be light enough and independent enough for back-packing.







P.S. If the "looks" thing is a comment on not being able to afford a decent hair cut I should mention that's for charity. NZ, UK and Aus have a thing called MOvember where guys grow mustaches for the month, I thought a mohawk would be funnier.

[Malfaiteur]

PKickTalk (because he sounds very genuine and got image to prove it)

I find that fascinating because the video struck me as being disingenuous. I'll have to rewatch it and see if I get the same feeling. I wonder what cues I'm picking up on that make me think one thing, and which you are picking up on that lead you to the opposite conclusion.

I really need to find a book or take a class on this sort of thing. Non-verbal communication is intriguing.

~!M

[Malfaiteur]

Yeah, just watched it again. Something in his cadence and pitch just says "I am making a plug" to me. Which is fine in and of itself, but it seems more like a plug instead of what he might really use the tablet for. Also some interesting problems with his arguments in the video. At one point he states that regular computers are problematic because they require maintenance, power, the internet etc. How the N810 avoids the need for any of the above is beyond me. The fact that you don't lug your desktop around probably saves it from the bush (mud, dust etc). So, while being more mobile, the N810 seems to me like it would be more prone to mechanical failure negating it's bonuses as I doubt there are any Nokia techs out there to fix a busted IT.

I don't think the N810 has much to offer that particular area as far as the internet goes. It's just a wifi device, and it sounds from his video like internet is slow and sparse. Having an N810 won't turn your 300 baud connection into a T1.

As for the commercial at the end which many seem so keen on, what's the point of it? The devices that disappear are not replaced by the N810 very well, if at all in some cases such as the phone or the camera. The camera in particular seemed kind of silly. From what I've seen the little camera on the N810 is nowhere near as capable as the camera shown in PK's vid. The laptop has other abilities that I don't think the tablet can reproduce (ability to type out pages and pages of text in one go comfortably, video editing, photo management etc.).

So after a second viewing I still don't like the video. You really ought to check into an OLPC for what you seem to be listing off in your video PK, as there you will find a better solution for your situation.

~!M

[ubuntu101]

Quote from a few days ago and today:
Aaron, I really want to like you. Honest. It seems that you are doing great things out there in Africa and are genuinely interested in helping the people there. However, your posts and your video kind of strike me as a little self-serving. I dunno if it's a subconscious thing or what.

You're right about the ad part, that is pretty good. As an ad. But at the same time it was something that turned me off of your video. Instead of being what you would use the N810 for, it became promotional.
......
Yeah, just watched it again. Something in his cadence and pitch just says "I am making a plug" to me. Which is fine in and of itself, but it seems more like a plug instead of what he might really use the tablet for. Also some interesting problems with his arguments in the video. At one point he states that regular computers are problematic because they require maintenance, power, the internet etc. How the N810 avoids the need for any of the above is beyond me. The fact that you don't lug your desktop around probably saves it from the bush (mud, dust etc). So, while being more mobile, the N810 seems to me like it would be more prone to mechanical failure negating it's bonuses as I doubt there are any Nokia techs out there to fix a busted IT.

I don't think the N810 has much to offer that particular area as far as the internet goes. It's just a wifi device, and it sounds from his video like internet is slow and sparse. Having an N810 won't turn your 300 baud connection into a T1.

As for the commercial at the end which many seem so keen on, what's the point of it? The devices that disappear are not replaced by the N810 very well, if at all in some cases such as the phone or the camera. The camera in particular seemed kind of silly. From what I've seen the little camera on the N810 is nowhere near as capable as the camera shown in PK's vid. The laptop has other abilities that I don't think the tablet can reproduce (ability to type out pages and pages of text in one go comfortably, video editing, photo management etc.).

So after a second viewing I still don't like the video. You really ought to check into an OLPC for what you seem to be listing off in your video PK, as there you will find a better solution for your situation.

~!M

Hey,

I just thought it might be fair for me to respond to a few of these comments, only because I think that in the short time frame of the film a few points got skewed. I'll make my response in a number of points.

1) A few days ago you said my film seemed self-promotional. It's not intended to be, but this IS a contest. . . Where I'm asking people to vote for me.

2) About the power, maintenance etc comment that you made. I said that because in Tsumkwe Namibia, 10 hours from the nearest town, where there are no computer technicians, it's really hard to maintain the machines that are getting used and because they're old multi-peripheral devices they do break. Also, power is a luxury which often goes out. And the battery of the n810 would be a great resource. I don't expect the internet to improve, but it is simply easier to have one wire for power (or none when using the battery) on the n810 instead of multiple cables for keyboards, mice, phone lines, power, etc on a desktop. Why do I believe the n810 instead of even the OLPC? Well, it's really a matter of interface. For people who for the most part don't speak English and who live "in the bush," it's extremely hard to teach and explain how to use mice, trackpads...etc. The n810 is revolutionary like the iphone was because you point and click exactly how you would think to do it, without a mouse. In South Africa, there was a whole project based on giving the Bushmen palm pilots with GPS capabilities running software that was entirely an icon interface to reduce the need for translations (http://www.cybertracker.org/). That program is only for tracking and hunting information, but the n810 with that same touch-icon interface could be used for much more.

3) The N810 is more durable than a desktop. And maybe in the future the Bushmen would be taking these computers out of the main town and into their villages and onto excursions.

4) To address the comments that a few other people made along with you when you say my film seems "self-serving," and someone said I should sell the iphone and gadgets in my film or that I must be able to afford a Nokia tablet because I'm a filmmaker and such. Well, I don't own an iPhone; I borrowed that and some other things in that video (it's part of the whole resourceful film school student thing), and I don't get paid to make the films in Africa or to help out on the projects I do there. It's entirely voluntary. If I had an old Nokia tablet I'd sell that for an n810, but I don't have one. If my film seems self-serving, maybe I just did a bad job telling my story- It seems I left a lot to be misinterpreted (my fault. Maybe that's the problem with a one week production).

5) As for the short ad at the end. It was meant to be a little funny, a little creative, and a little of a copy off of the Mac + Intel Ad (http://youtube.com/watch?v=ceB-jJYeaIY).

6) I also just want to mention, now that it looks like I won't be winning, that I really never expected to even make it this far. Thanks to Toughtfix and the judges for selecting me in the top 5! I originally hoped to see what people thought about technology in developing communities. I plan to write some articles about this, simply posing the question about how technology should be used and promoted in other parts of the world. Maybe some blogs will post my thoughts and get some feedback. But also, the San Bushmen in Nyae Nyae are looking for funding from technology companies to get some of their new ethnographic online programs funded and underway. Maybe if I were to win, I would be able to get Nokia's attention about some of the work going on and some of the practical ways that the internet is being used.

So when you say it seems like my film is only self-promotional and you continue by saying, "Which is fine in and of itself, but it seems more like a plug instead of what he might really use the tablet for." Well, the examples I use in my film are not hypothetical, but are actually practices of technology going on in the San community. So for anyone questioning what I've said, I'm citing actual projects that are underway and actual problems we've run into.

I hope I've responded to some of the ambiguity in my film, and I'd love to continue this discussion. Thanks for the comments,
-PKT

[thoughtfix]

PKickTalk: You were voted a finalist because your proposed use of the Internet Tablet is very much in line with what the contest wanted. A lot of the mud-slinging about entries reminds me of Paul Potts' experience on "Britian's Got Talent." During the contest, it was discovered that he had a lot of classical opera training. As it turns out, all his training was paid for out-of-pocket and he had never actually performed opera for pay.

There will always be people who feel the winners or finalists aren't justified in their place, but everyone involved (Voters, contest submissions, judges, and even those watching the videos) are part of the contest. Keep the original focus: Show off ideas, discuss others' submissions, have fun, and maybe win something.

[ubuntu101]

haha. Well thanks Dan!

[Hedgecore]

I'm in line with that, Dan wasn't looking to start a charity. If you're a millionaire with hundreds of gadgets and your submission's the best, it ought to get votes.

Seriously, I could've filmed myself rising off of a cold sidewalk at sunrise to spange for change if I thought it woulda helped. :)

"With my internet tablet, I can find the nearest methadone clinic for my heroin addicted 2 year old quintuplets."

:D

[Malfaiteur]

Interesting points. Gave me things to ponder over.

To point 1 -- fair enough. I suppose I disagree with your presentation style by reason of personal preference. Potato potahtoe.

To point 2 -- It would seem then that there are numerous other problems to overcome first. Safe water supply, consistent food (that may already be there, but I'm guessing not?), power if modern technology is what's wanted there, etc. It may be the internet has much to offer these people if the infrastructure to support it were actually there. Of course it is somewhat there as you state but apparently not at a level that would seem necessary to give the projects you talk about the supporting structure they need. As for obviating the need for a keyboard and mouse and all that by use of the touch screen and icons, I'm not sure if that's a good idea either. As far as I can tell the keyboard and mouse are the best way to get things done on a computer in general. Of course in some situations other methods prevail, such as moving around and using a touch interface, but most computing is stationary and best served by the old standbys. If there are no techs there to service the computers then the people there need to learn to do it themselves, and that means keyboard and mouse at least. It doesn't make sense in the long run for them to only slightly know what a computer is and kind of how it works.

To point 3 -- Not sure what to say about that PK, sounds like the equipment is either not ready to travel into remote areas or the infrastructure isn't there to support the tablet out there. Either way still seems, to me, like a non-win for the N810. Also how is the tablet more durable than a desktop? You've said it's rugged and I'm sure as far as more urbanized areas it is, but rugged enough for the African wilds? I mean if it is that's cool, I'd just like to see something in print or whatever that outlines that fact. The area seems kind of tough on the vehicles around there :)

I hope I haven't offended you; that has not been my intention PK. I see things from a different point of view than you and you seem willing to discuss so I have pursued that. I don't know if this is the correct thread for this discussion to be going on in at this point. I'm enjoying it, but if Dan or Reggie or whomever is in charge of this thread would prefer I'd be happy to take it elsewhere.

Keep up the good work,
~!M

[techdodo]

I apologize, but all votes made by users who joined these forums after 11/17 will be scrubbed from the database. Additionally, the contest results will be hidden until the voting is complete. This comes as a reaction to both vote tallies, analysis of the registration date/post count of voters, and to community concerns.

I can see that you are in a tough situation. I am not sure what I would do in your place, but it just seems odd to me that people who actually participated in the contest, don't get to participate in selecting the winner because they were not registered here when they entered the contest. The contest was explicitly stated to be open to people who were NOT members of the Internet tablet community when it was said you didn't need to have an Internet Tablet to enter the contest. I don't remember seeing in the rules anywhere that in order to vote you needed to be registered in the tablettalk forums BEFORE the finalists were chosen. If I had, I would have surely registered when I made my entry. Even a finalist might not be able to vote for themselves. I guess for me personally, it doesn't really matter, because I would have voted for icerabbit and he didn't make the finals. I liked icerabbit's video because he made the kind of video I wanted to make but just didn't have the time to do. His video was exactly what I thought you were looking for, but based on the finalists who were chosen, I must have misunderstood what you wanted. Only one person that I would have chosen for the final five was there. I would have liked to have given them my vote, but it won't break my heart not to do so.

I think the contest was a great idea, and you paid for the prize, and I think you need to do whatever you think is right to make it fair. I am fine with not being able to vote myself it accomplishes that goal. I agree with what some other people have said about the videos being able to be viewed before the contest was over being an issue, but I wonder if you would have received as many entries as you did if you did it differently? I probably would not have made one. Seeing other people's videos gave me the inspiration to make my own. I also agree that seeing the poll results while the voting was going on was an issue, and it makes sense that you took it down. As this was your first attempt at this, I guess there will always be learning pains in anything anyone does the first time. I guess the main thing is you made a valiant effort and you are still trying to do the right thing, which is commendable.

I would be interested to see who would have won out of all of the contestants who entered if only people registered with InternetTabletTalk before 11/17 were allowed to vote on ALL the entries. I am not saying they should win the Tablet, because those were not the rules, but that person would be the person the Internet Tablet community you speak of would have really chosen on their own. Maybe it would be one of the five finalists. Maybe it wouldn't. Even if it were one of the five finalists, it still might be a different person than will win now, because the votes would be distributed differently.

[Benson]

I would be interested to see who would have won out of all of the contestants who entered if only people registered with InternetTabletTalk before 11/17 were allowed to vote on ALL the entries.

I'd be interested to see that too, though then I'd need to find time to watch the rest of them.
I hate to suggest even more work for you, thoughtfix, but since you've got the polling with new-user exclusion and hidden results thing worked out, maybe a second poll with all the contestants could show up, just for kicks...

And, BTW, great contest, thoughtfix. I'd have entered, but I'm way too busy using my N800, and don't have a video-cam other than the N800. (I could have taken the entire video with the N800 looking at itself in a hand-mirror, but interesting is not always good, and there's still the busy issue.)
Pretty sure I would not have made finalist. If you're running another one though, and I think you said it would be easier than making a video, I'll probably play!

[Hedgecore]

Being a little socio-political left-wing nutbar, I found this whole issue really interesting. There are several points.

1.) Massive amounts of new users voting for particular people (I bet this might even be limited to geography, though I don't know what data is available.)

- This is definitely not fair and definitely not in the spirit of an open and fair contest. Someone trying to skew the votes seems to have ruined it for everyone

2.) People who are new and went through the effort to enter are not allowed to vote.

- This doesn't seem too fair either. Perhaps, since results are hidden, they could 'manually' vote? Either limited to people who made the top 5 or anyone who entered. I think the later would be best, if you participated in the contest, you should be able to participate in deciding on a winner as it proves you're not just here to vote for someone, never to be seen again. How about it Dan? :)

[icerabbit]

So I was without internet for like 6 days ... and there still is no winner???

I could see the voting problem coming from a mile away. Initially I actually thought it was the 5 judges that picked the winner, but I guess I skimmed that part back then.

My good news is: I saw and held an N810 in my hand. CompUSA had it. Hidden. They weren't going to let me see it (open box thing) and I just said, what about a display? You have the 770 & 800 here. Why not the 810? Anyhow. The guy opened it with permission from the manager. It seemed like I was able to type on the keyboard - in powered down state - without great difficulty ... and that the keyboard extended just enough ... though a couple extra mm might help (hello Nokia?)

The bad news is: neither CompUSA would mark down the price a bit ($480 before tax) so I held my foot down and walked out of the store empty handed. They will only price match WorstBuy and CircusCity apparently and didn't want to make the slightest concession. I can live with that. But there's two main reasons why I hardly ever set foot in CompUSA or make a purchase there: location & pricing.

[wazd]

480 bucks?! You should be really happy with that price, believe me =)

[ihavenothingprofoundtosay]

RE: Finalists who can't vote for themselves.

Here's what I don't understand: on the rules & initial announcement for the contest, it's stated that the final voting would take place on this forum. I though that was made clear, didn't everyone else? I hate to be so cruel as to say RTFM, but c'mon, at least some reading of the rules would have helped here. If it were me running the contest, I would have slipped something in the small print, just to see how many people really paid attention.

PKT - I didn't think your entry was self serving, but I could see how other people could interpret it that way. Regardless, I think you did a great job, and I've bookmarked your site - I'd love to see more of your work.


I really need to find a book or take a class on this sort of thing. Non-verbal communication is intriguing.


Malfaiteur, I have two words for you: Marshal McLuhan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_McLuhan). :)

[Hedgecore]

"The medium is the message". Odd you should mention McLuhan, I thought about him often when I first got my tablet. The internet in your pocket. Just... wow. :)

[icerabbit]

... Here's what I don't understand: on the rules & initial announcement for the contest, it's stated that the final voting would take place on this forum. I though that was made clear, didn't everyone else? ...

Not sure if that was directed at me. The rules were clear to me as well. I just happened to mention that at some point I initially missed/forgot about the forum voting or just paid attention to Dan's video post or whatever ... you know, at one point in time ... it skipped my mind. Whether it was ADD, multitasking, ... who knows. But, yes, I did read the rules prior to entering the contest and submitting my entry.

[ihavenothingprofoundtosay]

No, no - it just seems that there were more than a few folks who didn't register for this forum until after they'd already entered the contest (as in, join date prior to 11/17/07), and thus were unable to vote. It's odd to me that someone would put the work into entering the contest without making sure they'd be able to participate in the rest of the contest process. I didn't want to sound mean with my comments, I just thought it was odd that a number of entrants (including 2 finalists) won't be able to vote because they didn't register here first.

Um. . . I think I should try to elaborate what I'm saying a little better, but I already feel like I may have accidentally insulted someone.

[Malfaiteur]

Marshal eh? I knew a marshal once; liked him for a while, then turned out not to be that great of a guy. But perhaps this particular Marshal will be a decent fellow. I know what you mean about registering ahead of time. I rushed to the forums after a second reading of the rules and made sure I was a member ahead of time. But, maybe having worked in retail, I'm predisposed to reading the fine print.

~!M

[icerabbit]

No, no - it just seems that there were more than a few folks who didn't register for this forum until after they'd already entered the contest ...

No problem. My bad. I thought it might have applied to me as I said ... and then your reply came ... Anyway. It's all good :)

You know what I can't believe? It is another two days before the poll closes ;)

[techdodo]

Here's what I don't understand: on the rules & initial announcement for the contest, it's stated that the final voting would take place on this forum. I though that was made clear, didn't everyone else? I hate to be so cruel as to say RTFM, but c'mon, at least some reading of the rules would have helped here.

Here are the rules pertaining to what you are talking about....
2. Eligibility - Contest is open to YouTube users aged 18 years or older. Judges and family of judges are not eligible.
5. Winning - One winner will be chosen from a pool of five finalists, rated by voters of the InternetTabletTalk.com community. Finalists will be chosen by Judges.

Where did it say you had to be part of the InternetTabletTalk.com community before a certain date, like 11/17 to be a voter? The rules were posted on 10/25. Why not before 10/25? Maybe between 10/25 and 11/17, someone could have registered a bunch of accounts?

The changes are fine though, it is covered by this statement...
8. Limitations of Liability .....the Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend this Contest and may select the winner from among all entries received to the action taken. So changing the date to 11/17 is perfectly legit, and as I said before, if it makes the contest fair, I am perfectly fine with it.

No, no - it just seems that there were more than a few folks who didn't register for this forum until after they'd already entered the contest (as in, join date prior to 11/17/07), and thus were unable to vote.

Well, I am one of those that apparently didn't RTFM as well as you did. Despite how clear it was to you, before the contest was even started, I was able to register on the 20th, and I was allowed to vote on the 21st. At that point there was still no indication that people had to be registered prior to 11/17 to vote. So it wasn't a requirement at that time and only was made a requirement after there seemed to be some apparent hanky panky going on with the voting.

At least that was the way I understood it, but obviously, according to you, I didn't read the rules as well as you did.

[Hedgecore]

So. Anyone wanna pony up to getting their friends and family to vote?

Thought not. :D

[icerabbit]

I admit ... I missed the finals ;)

No. Seriously. I had dozen or so people view the clip on youtube. Nothing more. Nobody I know registered here to influence voting, either way for any candidate. Even if I were a finalist I wouldn't have asked anyone. And, I wouldn't know enough people to win such type of 'popularity' contest anyhow. It would have been purely on the merits of the entry. Pure and simple.

[yabbas]

This thread = hand-staple-forehead sometimes. :)

I think it's _generally_ safe to assume that entrants would vote for themselves regardless of whether or not they were registered here beforehand and regardless of whether or not they got to the finals [I understand some _may_ be altruistic enough not to.]

Ergo the easiest way to solve the problem of "I can't cast a vote for myself because I wasn't registered before X" is to simply not count votes from any entrants/finalists, or to add 1 to the tally for your own video [i.e. assume you voted for yourselves and not shoot yourselves in the foot]. Since entrants [not finalists] stand to gain nothing from voting at this stage, you may as well count them amongst the voters.

The results are the same so its moot.


I don't think its _that_ unfair to restrict votes to people registered before the contest was anounced; at least it's not as unfair as popularity voting. It would probably be best in the future to either (a) get judges to vote for the winner straight away - but that wouldn't get the ITT community involved; or (b) get votes from *active* ITT forum members, which is _kindof_ the way its being done now albeit crudely [but effectively.]


At the end of the day you want to fix the issue of popularity voting i.e. exclude dormant accounts from casting votes and perhaps one way to define this in future is to use the default forum descriptions for people under their names "junior members, member, senior member, administrators, etc".


As a first for Dan - I think it's a learning experience and I'm sure in the future when he's giving away N900s, N950s, N1Ks, etc he'll have a list of foolproof rules setup beforehand. He's done a spiffing job so far and I think he's acheived what he wanted from the competition, so kudos to him :)


Congrats to all of the finalists, good luck tomorrow! I'd be very interested to see who's won :D

[IntrepidAnitpodean2]

it's tonight!!!
V. excited.

If anyone is interested I've set up my own poll. Totally informal and it's non-binding. You see I need help deciding on a name for my travel blog. I've got a few shortlisted and I'm being indecisive. Help me out

http://craig.stanton.net.nz/poll.html

[thoughtfix]

Winners - I turned on my ability to receive messages over YouTube. Please send me your preference of "second prize" (ranked 1-4)

[jdsemma]

Winners - I turned on my ability to receive messages over YouTube. Please send me your preference of "second prize" (ranked 1-4)

Youtube gave me a 500 Internal Server Error when trying to reply, so I've sent you my reply in a PM here.

-Jennifer

[joeD]

I got the same message...

[IntrepidAnitpodean2]

And the winner is?

[Hedgecore]

Well... if you don't know and the other two were asked to pick other prizes... it looks like it's down to ninja or pkick. And if the way pkick's votes jumped indicated voting based on nepotism, I'd say it's ninja.

:)

[ninjatuned]

Hate to say it but - not me. I was asked to pick as well (but my message went through fine on YouTube). I thought it was a general call out to everyone but I could be wrong.

[icerabbit]

There's still 8 hours of 11/30 left on the east coast. Asking what people's choice would be for other prize makes sense at this point. No need to wait with that 'till tomorrow.

[IntrepidAnitpodean2]

No the vote definitely closed, the message at the top has changed. It was previously stating the deadline in your local timezone. For me it said Nov 30th 6:04pm, and that was 14 hours ago. I also got asked for my pick of the other prizes. It was address to "all winners..."

[ninjatuned]

Congrats to jdsvid!

[IntrepidAnitpodean2]

Holy cow I got 25%! Thanks voters, thanks Dan. Can't wait for the N900 :-)

[Hedgecore]

Congrats jds! And to the people who recently joined in lieu of this contest, stick around! Those of you that have actually posted seem pretty cool!

[Malfaiteur]

One day Hedgecore I will be like you, basking in near 1k posting glory :)

I, uh, got a little ways to go though. N810 is supposed to be shipping from Provantage though, so soon(ish?) I'll be a tableteer!

~!M

[icerabbit]

Congratulations jdsvid! Seems you won the grand prize ;)

And ninjatuned & sunwalker.

[icerabbit]

... Can't wait for the N900 :-)

Yes, that's going to be a big contest, when the N830/840 or holy grail N900 comes out ;)

[thoughtfix]

I've heard from all winners and, based on their preferences, will post a winner and prize list. When that is complete, I will post it on tabletblog. This will be within the hour. Stay tuned!

[thoughtfix]

http://tabletblog.com/2007/11/nokia-n810-giveaway-winners-circle.html

[jdsemma]

Wow.

Just...wow. :)

I don't know what to say, except - thank you Dan for the contest, and thanks to everyone that voted for my vid, and thanks to the other entrants for..well, for just making such cool videos!

-Jennifer
(Best. Christmas. EVAR!)

[thoughtfix]

I sent Dynamism all the shipping information but remember that ALL prizes are dependent upon Dynamism having them in stock - and it IS holiday shopping rush season. I hope everyone gets their toys ASAP.

[yabbas]

Congrats to all of you esp emma :) the best woman won!