Microsoft More Personal Computing Hackathon

Official Website Update 2: Thanks to generous sponsorship from Microsft, we are able to extend the early-bird pricing up to the date of the event. We also have a number of discount codes to give away. Tweet @OpaqueMM to get a code. Update 1: VicHealth has sponsored 2x $1000 prizes for using the technolgy and skills at the hackathon to answer their challenges. The Microsoft More Personal Computing Hackathon is a unique opportunity for coders, designers and hacking enthusiasts to acquire hands-on experience with some of the most exciting technologies of recent times: the Microsoft Band, Kinect, Windows 10, Cortana, Azure and more. Bring your own ideas and see how the technology can make them real, or use your skills to address one of our health challenges, posed by local and global health industry experts. Kicking off Melbourne International Games Week, the Microsoft More Personal Computing Hackathon will be held at Swinburne University of Technology from 23 - 25 October. Over 48 hours, participating teams will have exclusive access to Microsoft technologies AND the engineers who built them. The best applications have the chance to win thousands of dollars in prizes, including two $1000 prizes sponsored by VicHealth. Prizes will be given at an awards ceremony on Monday at the Hawthorn Town Hall in front of some of Victoria’s top entrepreneurs, businesspeople and government agencies. You and your team will have the opportunity to develop new software, from initial concept through to working prototype. Over the two fully catered days you’ll be brought up to speed on how to use the technology through exclusive workshops and then use your skills and knowledge to develop apps worthy of the prizes for each category. Developing a successful application prototype requires more than just coding skills – being the best requires designers, artists and business minded team members. Building a team with broad skills will give you an edge over the competition. What will your team develop?   The Tech Microsoft Band Making its first appearance in Australia, the Microsoft Band is the first device powered by Microsoft Health, featuring heart rate, steps, calorie burn, and sleep quality tracking. It also helps you be more productive with email previews and calendar alerts - right on your wrist. Kinect With Kinect for Windows, you can control applications using your just body, voice, and gestures. Developers and businesses worldwide are using Kinect to address challenges across a wide variety of industries. Development for the Kinect has been re-invigorated by its move to Windows and Unreal Engine 4. The developers of the Kinect 4 Unreal plugin will show you how Unreal Blueprints allow anyone – not just programmers – to develop sophisticated apps and games for the Kinect. Cortana and Azure Cortana is the personal assistant included with Windows 10. Cortana is also more than this - the Cortana Analytics Suite delivers big data and advanced analytics capabilities from the cloud, including machine learning, big data storage and processing as well as perceptual intelligence such as vision, face and speech recognition. Discover Azure and its machine learning capabilities that power Cortana and Cortana Analytics and see how the same backend can power your app. Windows 10 Windows 10 is the Operating System that enables development and innovation across all of these devices and platforms and more. With new SDKs and the best development tools available, Windows 10 allows developers to target over a billion devices and users across the world, from IoT devices to phones to the PC. With Windows 10, you’re ready to either create a new Universal Windows app or explore how you can use your existing app code on Windows.     The Organisers Microsoft Microsoft's mission is to empower individuals and organisations in every part of the world to achieve more. Microsoft's vision of a more personal computing experience unifies software, hardware and the cloud to empower people to invent and create. Opaque Multimedia Opaque Multimedia is a premiere experience development and technology consulting company. We merge VR, AR, games and web technologies to create training, games and marketing material of unparalleled immersion and sophistication. Swinburne University of Technology Swinburne is a world-ranked university leading the way in innovation, industry engagement and social inclusion. Our education, high-quality research, and industry partnerships, create positive change for students, staff and the community. Creative Victoria Creative Victoria is a government body dedicated to supporting, championing and growing the state’s creative industries, spanning arts, culture, screen, design and more. VicHealth The Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth) is a pioneer in health promotion – the process of enabling people to increase control over and improve their health. Their primary focus is promoting good health and preventing chronic disease. They create and fund world-class interventions. They conduct vital research to advance Victoria’s population health. They produce and support public campaigns to promote a healthier Victoria. They provide transformational expertise and insights to government.     The Prizes Every attendee will receive a 30% discount pass to Future Assembly, Australia’s newest emergent technology festival. The best overall application will receive a trip to Sydney for the opening of the first flagship Microsoft store outside the US. The best Kinect application will receive a Kinect for each team member. The best Kinect 4 Unreal application will receive a Kinect 4 Unreal development support package. The best Health application will receive a stand at Future Assembly. The best applications to answer the VicHealth Challenges will win $1000 each. The Band or Cortana applications will win an Xbox One for each team member.     FAQs What are my transport/parking options getting to the event? The best way to get to the hackathon is train or tram. Take the Alamein, Burwood or Lilydale line trains or the #16 tram to Glenferrie Station. If you are travellign by car, parking is plentiful around Burwood and Glenferrie Rd at the weekend. Most parking is timed until mid-afternoon on Saturday. What can/can't I bring to the event? Computers/Laptops: For teams working with the Band or Kinect, we'll be providing 1 device and an associated PC per team. Each team member should otherwise bring a computer or laptop. We will have a limited number of Windows To Go drives for participants with Mac or Linux devices that would like to use Windows specific tools. Food/Drink: The event is completely catered, but feel free to bring your own food & drink. No alcohol or drugs and legal stimulants only, please. Will the event go for the full 48 hours? Yes. You are free to go home and sleep, or to grab a nap on a couch at the event, if you'd like to settle in, dedicated sleeping areas will be provided - bring your kit. We will be instituting a midnight to 06:00 lockout - during these hours, you'll be able to leave, but noone will be allowed in. If I go to sleep or duck out for a coffee, will my equipment be safe? We will have security onsite for the entire event so we'll do what we can to prevent anything bad from happening, but we can't accept any liability for items going missing or being broken. Who owns the application I develop at the hackathon? You and your team own any idea or applications you develop during the hackathon. Whether you win or not, your ideas belong to you. This event is conducted under the Event Code of Conduct and the Swinburne Code of Conduct.