Want to visit the Google Engineering office in Switzerland?

• What's a gadget?

Hum... if you don't know this by now, it's probably that you have other interests and should pass on this one. Check out the document attached to this email, it's the presentation used at the Tech-Talk that David Harper, Tech Lead at Google, gave when he came to visit UCT in July.
You can also learn more about gadgets' what, how and why, here: www.google.co.za/aboutgadgets

• What's in it for me? Sounds like more work!

Creating a killer-gadget IS a lot of work, but it can be a lot of fun too and a great experience to mention on your CV. Besides, you could make this project a team project. For instance, you could join forces with marketing fellow students to find out what South African online audiences are likely to crave right now in terms of gadgets. Then you could partner with a website to create their gadget, either using their brand and concept, or their RSS feed... The options are endless and you can make this project as small or big as you wish.
And that's without mentioning the trip to Google's engineering office in Zürich Switzerland, and the immense pride in defending your city and your university! Can you imagine if Wits wins?!?! You can't let this happen!!!

• When's the dead line to register?

August 15th, tic toc tic toc....

• What are the criteria to win?

A good gadget will display the following qualities: Functionality, aesthetic appeal, ease of use, creativity, languages (you get extra brownie-points for making a gadget in English AND in another South African language!), and popularity. 
Yep... the bar is high!

• Panic!!! I have not even started thinking about this! What do I do now? Am I too late?

Well, you have to know the rough concept of your gadget by the time you register in the competition, but you don't have to have the gadget created by then! So you can use the next week to think, talk to people, identify a concept, a specific audience who your gadget will appeal to, maybe organise a mini brainstorming session with potential users, and find partners if needs be. That's feasible.


You know what they say... "100% of winners participated!"