At the 2010 Partner Awards Winner’s Lunch held today, Microsoft New Zealand announced the date and new categories for the 2011 Partner Awards.

There will be 10 new categories at this year’s awards, designed to recognise the breadth of work conducted by the companies in the Microsoft Partner Network.

“The technology industry is continually changing with new products and services. It is important to adjust the award categories to represent this, and as a result, this year we will include awards that recognise excellence in developing applications for Windows Azure and Windows Phone just to name two” says Brent Colbert, Director – Partner Group at Microsoft.

“The 2011 event will be the fifth year of the Partner Awards in New Zealand, and we expect to see an increase in the number of entries, even more importantly the number of partners entering the awards should increase as a result of these exciting new award categories.”

The Microsoft New Zealand 2011 Partner Awards dates are currently aligned with the timing of the wider Microsoft Worldwide Partner Awards, giving local award winners the opportunity to compete on the global stage.

Paul Plester, General Manager at Express Data New Zealand, was awarded the Worldwide Distribution Partner of the Year at last year’s Worldwide Partner Awards.

“Heading to the global awards was a fantastic experience, and a great opportunity to get the company brand highlighted on the international stage. Our win at the 2010 awards was a huge boost to the team, and it’s fantastic Microsoft recognises its partners this way. Our win resulted in significant business benefits over the last 12 months and we look forward to entering the 2011 awards.”

Award submissions for the Microsoft New Zealand 2011 Partner Awards will be open from 24 August to 14 October, with finalists announced on Monday 31 October 2011. The New Zealand Partner Awards event will be held at the currently under construction Viaduct Event Centre on Thursday 17 November.

Yes, I own a Nokia N97, but so does heavenly_wild, so we speak from expereince...you obviously do not, and are basing your comments and thoughts on rumors and reviews, many of which are just based on opinion and comparing specs, rather than actual physical long-term use or testing.

As heavenly_wild points out, no device is without its flaws...
A device can be perfect to some, but flawed to others as we all have different needs from a device...
Whats most imporant?...
Camera?
Memory?
RAM?
CPU/GPU?
OS?
Availablity of apps?
Simplicity?
Bling?
Touch screen?
Qwerty keyboard?
Codec and flash support?

Yes, there have also been some issues with the N97, but I concur with heavenly_wild that it is the minority who have problems with GPS or the camera scratching itself...

Nokia also provide fantastic software/firmware support, and with every firmware update the N97 has gone from strength to strength...with some mobiles, you are lucky to get 1 major firmware update a year, of which only offers basic features available in basic Nokia phones many many years ago...

Anyway, lets not get into a flame war regarding which mobile is best...
Asmodeus asked which we would recommend...I know myself and heavenly_wild both highly recommend the Nokia N97, but as I said, the best person to ask for a compaision is nztechfreak, as he has owned both.

"You are what you drive. And the Sony Ericsson Bluetooth Car CAR-100 is an impressive statement. In addition it's also an incredibly fun gadget. Use your Sony Ericsson Bluetooth mobile phone to charge and control the CAR-100 and you'll have hours of fun. Gaming doesn't need to be a piece of software anymore."

I think I wouldn't need to say much more than this. It's an incredible gadget, ready to make all kids inside us jump to the opportunity of doing some "research into Bluetooth connectivity". The car was first shown during the CeBit 2003, as a fun way to demonstrate Bluetooth. It was a tremendous success and Sony Ericsson decided to make a limited edition. And after much wait, here it is...

I've ordered mine from Blueunplugged (affiliate link below), and in one week I had the DHL package in my front door. At first I thought it couldn't possibly be it. Too small a package, and the customs form said "mobile phone accessory". I'd say it's the other way around: my mobile phone is a car accessory .

First things first: charging. You'll need to charge the car one hour before using it for the first time. The car is not big, about the same size of a matchbox. It's plugged into a Ericsson or Sony Ericsson mobile phone for charging, so make sure your mobile phone's battery is 100% full.



Charging the Sony Ericsson Bluetooth Car CAR-100

Once the battery is fully charged we then proceeded with pairing. Very easy: press the on button until a LED inside the car (behind the windscreen) blinks red-green and set your mobile phone to initiate the pairing. Once the car is found, enter the PIN 0000 and the fun can begin. I managed to rescue my trusty Ericsson T39m and it's now the most expensive remote control I've ever had. The reason for that is because the car will work with Ericsson R520, Ericsson T39m, Sony Ericsson T68i, Sony Ericsson T610, Sony Ericsson Z600. The car will work with the Sony Ericsson P800 or P900 by using this application and with the Sony Ericsson P900 if using the P900 SDK.



The Sony Ericsson P800 and P900 Bluetooth car application


The Sony Ericsson P900 application from the SDK

When you turn it on the car will automatically connect to the paired mobile phone. If the car is already on but not connected, just press the button for a second and it'll look for the mobile phone. The car shuts itself off after a certain time. If you ever neede to reset the configuration and pairing information, press the button for 30 seconds while charging.

The display on the phone will show the default speed. The controls are easy. Simply press 1 to go forward, 4 to go back, 2 to turn left, 3 to turn right, and press * or 0 or # to select one of three speeds.



Ready to rock'n'roll with the car

It's quite simple really. With your left hand you control forward/back and with your right hand the left/right direction. It will work with your mobile phone's joystick too (like the Sony Ericsson T610). The download link below is a QuickTime movie of the car in action.

It's a lot of fun. The car is quite fast, and turns left or right very easily. You'll need at least 30cm to allow for a full circle. You can master it quite quickly, and start doing great figures of eight and other complicated manoeuvres, including skidding (if the surface is slippery enough). The surface where you place the car is important for performance. It may or may not work on a carpet, depending on how thick the carpet is. The kitchen (if you convince your other half that you need it) is ideal. Or any smooth surface, like a wooden floor.

Battery life is not long, I've used the car for about 60 minutes going around the kitchen and that was it. The car was ready for a refuel. On top of that the Ericsson T39m is known for a problem where its battery drains heavily when using Bluetooth. So I guess I'll need a charger handy when planning to entertain with this toy. Lucky I have this mobile phone for this function only now.



Sony Ericsson Bluetooth Car CAR-100 in original packaging

I haven't had time to try anything like this, but I suspect that hacking this car could be possible. I can imagine users creating a hot rod version, with different painting or changing the body altogether. Then perhaps a little program to control it from a Pocket PC or a desktop/laptop.

In summary I recommend this car if you want to show the Bluetooth technology, show your ability while driving such a small car, race against friends, or simply have some fun with a new toy .