TouchSmarter: Touch Screen Gadgets

In June we will launch version 2.0 of your favorite award-winning multi-touch software product Snowflake Suite.

With that launch, the price of Snowflake will become 699 EUR per license.

We are however offering you a limited HOT Snowflake 2.0 pre-order opportunity with a promo price of 499 EUR.
Pre-order Snowflake 2.0 now and, you will benefit from this current 499 EUR promo price.

Contact us here and we’ll assist you to place the order for your Snowflake license.

Payments can be made with Paypal, credit card (Visa, American Express, Mastercard) or bank wire transfer.

New features for 2.0 include:
- A multi-touch browser allowing users to use Facebook, Google, Twitter, Youtube, Flash, email and chat
- iOS support for iPad, iPod and iPhone
- Mac support
- 180 degrees interface flip (for a more collaborative multi-user environment)
- 3M multi-monitor support (connect multiple 3M multi-touch monitors)
- Auto updating (a complete reinstallation is no longer required, instead the software will automatically check for available upgrades)
- Brand new SDK fully based on QT

Snowflake 2.0 is the multi-user collaborative multi-touch software solution that is leading the industry.

We are looking forward to work with you.

Best regards,

The NUITEQ Team

Check out the new product brochure of NUITEQ’s UK partner Sahara Presentation Systems plc.

Download the brochure here to learn more about Sahara’s CleverLCD Touch Fusion multi-touch products that come bundled with NUITEQ’s award-winning multi-touch software product Snowflake Suite.

In January 2011 in London, Sahara was rewarded with a Finalist spot in the 2011 BETT Awards, the #1 ICT event in the world for education, for their interactive products.

NUITEQ is proud that Snowflake is combined with a well recognized product like the CleverLCD Touch Fusion.

Is your company an OEM, System Integrator or Value Added Reseller that is active in the interactive touch industry? Get in touch with NUITEQ now to learn more about which Partnership benefits NUITEQ offers, so that you can stand out from the crowd by offering clearcut USPs that your competition is lacking.

As per popular request, we want to share a few Snowflake 2.0 pre release screenshots.

Snowflake running on the Mac platform.

We’ve added the feature of sorting content in different ways in the Media Viewer to offer the option to show for example products in an very organized way.

We are especially excited to offer the multi-touch browser, which of course comes with an onscreen keyboard. Visit the webs most popular sites like Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, Google, LinkedIn, CNN, Google Maps and many more. Of course completely iPhone interaction style, using two or more finger gestures to zoom in and out of web pages, pan around, focus in on detailed images and text. You can even chat with friends and send e-mails.

Snowflake Suite 2.0 will be launched in June and new features will include:
- A multi-touch browser allowing users to use Facebook, Google, Twitter, Youtube, Flash, email and chat
- iOS support for iPad, iPod and iPhone (application is pending Apple approval)
- Mac support
- 180 degrees interface flip (for a more collaborative multi-user environment)
- 3M multi-monitor support (connect multiple 3M multi-touch monitors)
- Auto updating (a complete reinstallation is no longer required, instead the software will automatically check for available upgrades)
- Brand new SDK fully based on QT

Snowflake 2.0 will come with a tremendous valuable increase of features and benefits. New increased pricing will be announced upon launch.

You’ll receive your license key the same day, if you order before 15H CET (Sweden time) during regular working days.

If your company is interested to partner with NUITEQ and enjoy a wide range of Partner benefits (including current pricing), contact us here.

We’re looking forward to start working with you.

One of the main benefits of NUITEQ’s award-winning multi-touch software Snowflake Suite is the fact that it is highly customizable. You can change the default images, videos, 3d models, text, logos, backgrounds, audio etc to create your own uniquely branded multi-touch software solution.

The software however contains many hidden gems that you might not be aware of and I wanted to highlight 26 of them, as I hope that these features are valuable to you.

1 - Ability to launch external executables/applications from the Snowflake menu (supports Microsoft Touch Pack applications and Flash files)

One of the unique benefits of Snowflake is to use it as a nice clean and consistent interface to launch your own applications. Many of NUITEQ’s Partners and Customers love most of the applications that standard come with Snowflake, however often they have their own applications as well that they want to utilize in addition to the Snowflake apps. So instead of closing Snowflake and run their apps via Windows, you can instead launch the apps from within Snowflake. I previously dedicated a separate blogpost to this topic, which can be found here.

2 - Support to use background images in Draw
In addition to a white background, we added the capability to select your own background images in Draw, as this was a much requested feature.

3 - Clip art functionality in Draw

Instead of drawing everything yourself, we’ve added clip art to the latest version of Draw, for the creative ones under us.

4 - Printing support in Draw
You can print the drawings that you created.

5 - Saving drawings to the Media Viewer
You can save your drawings, so that they will appear in the Media Viewer.

6 - Support for having videos as menu icons
To create a more dynamic experience

7 - Support to play a wav sound when applications are started
Integrated as per request from one of our Partners.

8 - Settings for the Media Viewer to specify if the background should be interactable or not
Some people prefer an interactive background, some don’t. We let you decide what you prefer.

9 - Support for hierarchical menus (menus opening other menus)

10 - Setting to enable/disable screen saver audio
You might not even know that Snowflake has a screen saver option. It has and you can even enable/disable the audio for that.

11 - Settings in the Configuration Editor to enable/disable USB copying in the Media Viewer
Interested to copy files from the Media Viewer to a USB key? This is possible now and you might want to use it to transfer product brochures to USB keys while showcasing your products at trade shows.

12 - Mouse support in Windows 7 version
Press M on the keyboard to enable/disable the mouse.

13 - Windows 7 WM_TOUCH events support to TouchCore
This feature is for rear camera based multi-touch systems.

14 - Support for automatic switch between Snowflake and mouse driver (TouchCore)
This feature is for rear camera based multi-touch systems.

15 - Support for portrait mode

16 - Video support in puzzle
In addition to images, you can now also load your own videos into the puzzle application.

17 - Old application menu icons and background

A couple of months ago we replaced the old Snowflake graphics with new ones. In case you preferred the old ones, they are still available.

They can be found in the folder “bin/data/Icons/Old Application Icons”.

18 - Support for print screen in Windows 7
In case you’d like to make high resolution screen shots for your brochures to promote Snowflake.

19 - Stylus support for N-trig and Wacom platforms

20 - An optional “Exit Snowflake Suite” button in the top level menu
In most public scenarios, you don’t want people to exit the software and let the screen return to Windows. We give an option to either have an exit button in the menu or not.

21 - True multi camera support (3, 4 and more cameras)
This relates to Snowflake Suite TouchCore for rear camera based systems. Some companies initially try alternative open source software for their image processing, however end of the day most of them would like to have a more stable solution and the security of getting dedicated support. Our software has been used in multi camera installations such as 5 meter interactive bars and even longer interactive walls.

22 - F1 Version numbering
Press F1 to see which version of Snowflake you are running.

23 - F2 Rendering FPS counter
Press F2 to see how smooth your system is running.

24 - Apps added
Initially Snowflake consisted out of only about 6 applications, which means that over time we have added a tremendous amount of new applications to the Suite (currently over 20 apps), offering our Customer and Partners more value for money over time.

25 - Exclusive application loading (double-click .nui files)
If you are not interested to launch the entire Snowflake menu interface, but only want to launch one application, for example Wong, then you can simply do that.

26 - Multiple Media Viewers
You can load multiple Media Viewers with different content.

Actually there’s a 27th point that you might not know about. We custom develop multi-touch software applications to fit our Partners’ and Customers’ exact needs based on Snowflake. If you would like us to develop a multi-touch application for you, please contact us, tell us what you need and we’ll advise you accordingly on how we’ll make it happen.

Because of our four years of pioneering experience in developing customized multi-touch software applications and because of the fact that we are using Snowflake as our base to develop from, we’re able to deliver new applications time efficiently.

One of the benefits of NUITEQ’s award-winning multitouch software Snowflake is the fact that you can completely change the entire look and feel of the software, to make it look like your own (or your customers) branded solution.

You can change images, backgrounds, logos, text, 3d models, videos, remove applications etc.

To learn more about the 10 Benefits of Snowflake, have a look in the benefits brochure below

Snowflake comes with an easy to use Configuration Editor that allows you to change many settings in the software.
Therefore I wanted to share some screenshots with you, so that you have a better understanding of all the possibilities that the Configuration Editor offers.

In this tab you can amongst others specify which applications inside Snowflake you want to use and don’t want to use. If you are using Snowflake for education purposes, you might for example want to exclude casino applications. If you want to use Snowflake for your product presentation purposes, you might want to exclude the games. This is all possible.

You can even create your own application names and specify the default menu layout.

Specify which background you would like to use and which video screensaver

Here you can change different application settings such as:
- Application Window size
- Application Window Aspect
- Number of applications and other features

Do you only need one corner menu in the bottom left corner? In this tab you can easily specify which corner menus you want to have enabled/disabled, depending on if you are using a horizontal or vertical multi-touch installation. If you have deployed a 3 meter high multi-touch wall, why would you have a top right corner menu that people can’t reach? Thats what we thought. At the same time, if you are using a large horizontal system, you want to make sure people around the table can easily reach the menu, without having to bend over the screen.

To learn more details about the Configuration Editor, have a look at our Support Wiki here.

If you have any questions about the Configuration Editor, please leave a message on our Support Forum here.

You can purchase Snowflake online here. Or contact NUITEQ here, to learn more about bulk large quantity OEM pricing of Snowflake.

As per version 2.0 of Snowflake (launch in June) the value add, benefits and price of Snowflake will increase. If you purchase now, you can benefit from the existing price and get a free upgrade to 2.0 as soon as its released. Learn more about it here.

You can also have a glimpse at the Snowflake brochure here.

And of course Snowflake wouldn’t be Snowflake if we didn’t offer you a free evaluation copy, which you can find here.

Do you have any questions that can’t wait, regarding Snowflake, NUITEQ or Partnership opportunities, just give us a call or we will call you:

We’re looking forward to soon starting working with you, if we aren’t already.

We think Snowflake rocks! But don’t take our word for it, see what our Partners and Customers have to say about NUITEQ, Snowflake and our Customer Support.

“We’ve been working with NUITEQ for a few months now on special customer projects and our partnership just became obvious. We’ve used customized Snowflake contents for many of our customers events and it is the best and most advanced multi-touch suite available on the market: it’s reliable, innovative, creative and easy to use. With NUITEQ’s multi-touch skills and experience and our hardware/software expertise, I’m sure we will achieve great results. ”

Emmanuel Ducros
CEO Arscenique (France)

Video below of Snowflake in action

I was invited by CONNECT Norr to present NUITEQ last Friday at the Yearly Entrepreneurial Party (Årets näringslivsfest) in Luleå, North Sweden.

The purpose was to present NUITEQ to a 350 people crowd during a public spring board live session and give them an understanding of what spring board sessions look like that are organized by CONNECT Norr.

CONNECT is an organization that is organizing spring board sessions for companies to present themselves to a board of professionals with a wide set of skills, covering areas such as accounting, patent research, marketing, sales, corporate strategy etc.

The goal of such sessions is that an entrepreneur receives feedback on their presentation, ideas, business plan and on aspects of the company’s operations.

I participated in similar events with CONNECT previously. Read more about it here.

For me it was a great event to see some friends again and to get to know more people and hear their success stories on doing business.

I’d like to thank CONNECT Norr and Luleå Näringsliv for the opportunity to present NUITEQ to such an exciting crowd.

After my presentation, enjoyed a nice drink in the sun together with a friend of mine who started a successful software company Toontrack. Was great to catch up with him again.

Afterwards I dropped by Aurorum Science Park to see how our multi-touch installation was performing there and it worked very nicely.

Then took a 2 hour bus ride back to Skellefteå.

Looking forward to go to Luleå again any time soon.

NUITEQ is again a Finalist for the 2011 Red Herring Top 100 Europe Award

Skellefteå, Sweden – Natural User Interface Technologies AB (NUITEQ) announced today it has been selected as a Finalist for Red Herring’s Top 100 Europe award, a prestigious list honoring the year’s most promising private technology ventures from the European business region.

The Red Herring editorial team selected the most innovative companies from a pool of hundreds from across Europe. The nominees are evaluated on both quantitative and qualitative criteria, such as financial performance, technology innovation, quality of management, execution of strategy, and integration into their respective industries.

This unique assessment of potential is complemented by a review of the actual track record and standing of a company, which allows Red Herring to see past the “buzz” and make the list an valuable instrument for discovering and advocating the greatest business opportunities in the industry.

“This year was very rewarding,” said Alex Vieux, publisher and CEO of Red Herring. “The global economic situation has abated and there are many great companies producing really innovative and amazing products. We had a very difficult time narrowing the pool and selecting the finalists. NUITEQ shows great promise therefore deserves to be among the Finalists. Now we’re faced with the difficult task of selecting the Top 100 winners of Red Herring Europe. We know that the 2011 crop will grow into some amazing companies that are sure to make an impact.”

“We are delighted to be a Finalist of the Red Herring Europe 100. It feels great that we are once again honored by Red Herring for the hard work and the innovation that we continue to deliver to our partners and customers in over 45 countries around the world.”, says NUITEQ’s CEO Harry van der Veen. “I’m very thankful towards our partners and customers that have all contributed to NUITEQ’s success.”

Finalists for the 2011 edition of the Red Herring 100 Europe award are selected based upon their technological innovation, management strength, market size, investor record, customer acquisition, and financial health. During the several months leading up to the announcement, hundreds of companies in the telecommunications, security, Web 2.0, software, hardware, biotech, mobile and other industries completed their submissions to qualify for the award.

The Finalists are invited to present their winning strategies at the Red Herring Europe Forum in Amsterdam, May 23-25, 2011. The Top 100 winners will be announced at a special awards ceremony the evening of May 25 at the event.

About NUITEQ
NUITEQ® is a Red Herring 100 Global award-winning Swedish technology company, that offers advanced off the shelf and customized multi-touch software solutions.

Late 2010, the company was awarded the 10th most promising tech startup in the world.

Its software product Snowflake Suite, which received a Stevie Awards finalist recognition for Best New Product or Service of the Year 2009 - Media & Entertainment, is available to end clients, software developers, system integrators and OEMs.

NUITEQ’s vision is to improve the way people interact with technology, by creating engaging user interface experiences. Visit www.nuiteq.com for more information.

Check more latest news about NUITEQ here.

For an overview of the awards that NUITEQ has received over the years, have a look here.

For an overview of all the finalists, have a look at the Red Herring website here.

You can find the NUITEQ May News letter here.

If you want to subscribe to future NUITEQ news letters, you can do that here or on the right side -> Join Now to Subscribe News letter

Covered topics in the May News letter:

- Snowflake Suite 1.9.4 multi-touch software released
- Video presentation in collaboration with NUITEQ’s Partner Touch International
- NUITEQ expands it global partner network with a couple of exciting companies
- A customized multi-touch experience that NUITEQ delivered to a Science Park
- A delivered project for Porsche Asia
- Whats to come for Snowflake 2.0
- Kinect with Snowflake

You can find the NUITEQ May News letter here.

If you want to subscribe to future NUITEQ news letters, you can do that here or on the right side -> Join Now to Subscribe News letter

Covered topics in the May News letter:

- Snowflake Suite 1.9.4 multi-touch software released
- Video presentation in collaboration with NUITEQ’s Partner Touch International
- NUITEQ expands it global partner network with a couple of exciting companies
- A customized multi-touch experience that NUITEQ delivered to a Science Park
- A delivered project for Porsche Asia
- Whats to come for Snowflake 2.0
- Kinect with Snowflake

A couple of months ago NUITEQ delivered a cool interactive pool table with a partner in the UK to a well known communications brand.

Above the pool table, a camera based tracking system running Snowflake TouchCore and a projector were installed.
The system tracked the movement of the balls and created amazing wow effects on the pool table as the balls were rolling around, resulting in a crowd engaging experience.

NUITEQ’s Indian Partner TouchMagix installed a similar but even cooler project, namely an interactive bowling alley, using 6 projectors and two of their MotionMagix systems.

Check also the below a video of a project that TouchMagix delivered to their client Emirads in Dubai, powered by Snowflake

Last but not least, iPhone vs Magixtable with Angry Birds