So a couple of weeks ago I got a mysterious email saying that Nokia was interested in springing for me to join them in Helsinki for a few days.
We sometimes help Nokia run events involving participants from social media, like bloggers and forum members. The latest being a new annual workshop that hopes to involve an eclectic mix of the online community in a discussion of what the future holds for everything from mobile technology to media creation. It’s a three day event in Helsinki and we’d like to invite you, flights and accommodation paid for.
It’s taking place in September between the 11th and 14th, and will be the first of its kind hosted by Nokia. We’re contacting everyone from creative’s, designers, video producers to open source software bloggers and mobile tech pioneers. There will be a number of workshops that’ll see discussion with participants, and with Nokia guys, about the future of different online arenas and mobile technology. Workshops that we hope you’d like to join in with and make yourself heard.
My initial thought was to file this under ‘elaborate phishing scheme’, but then figured I might as well look into it. After several Google searches, I became convinced that this was real enough. Of course, I couldn’t turn down a free trip abroad, so I gratefully accepted. A flurry of emails and frantic passport renewal later, and I’m off for Finland tomorrow!
Just a few days ago, they finally got around to posting an official site for the event, which has a few surprises to me that I hadn’t heard before. In particular, they say:
In the spirit of the event, non-attendees will be able to freely participate through online tools that will be available on the website prior, and via the virtual event that will be taking place simultaneously on the days of the event. So feel free to join in, and help us all learn more on what the future of mobile should really be.
I’m dying to know what this will entail, but I’m planning on bringing people along as much as I possibly can. From blog posts, to Tweets/Plurks, and of course live broadcasts, I hope to share as much of the short trip as possible. 35 people were chosen to attend, and the group has begun to self-organize here if you’re curious to see who else is going. So far as I can tell, I’m representing the education community, so if you have any crazy ideas that you want mentioned to the Nokiarati, let me know.
Additionally, they sent me a Nokia e71 to play around with. As you may have read in my last post, I’m pretty darn happy with the N95, however I’m always open to re-evaluating. So far, I do have to admit that the keyboard on the e71 gives it a HUGE advantage of the N95, but the N95 has a nicer screen and a camera that really can’t be beat. That being said, I’m going to try to do some side by side stills, videos and broadcasts to compare the two of them and see which one would be better suited for both me and education users. Unfortunately I don’t get to keep the phone, it’s just a loaner. But I’ve got nothing at all to complain about. Thrilled for the opportunity.
If you are interested in participating virtually, keep an eye on the blog and I’ll share ways that you can do so as I find out about them!