Bangladesh Microsoft win
By Bala Shah

The Microsoft Imagine Cup, held every year, is the world’s premier student technology competition, honoring student innovations that address global problems such as improving road and fire safety, eradicating poverty, and creating a more sustainable environment. More than 350,000 people registered for the competition. Yesterday, Microsoft announced the winners and the tech giant also unveiled plans to launch a three-year, $3 million competitive grant program to help recipients realize their vision of solving the world’s toughest problems.

“The innovators, entrepreneurs and humanitarians who compete in the Imagine Cup have developed an inspiring spectrum of projects, raising the bar higher and higher each year,” said S. Somasegar, senior vice president, Developer Division, Microsoft. “We are in awe of the students’ solutions for addressing social and real-world challenges, and want to help them take their projects to the next level with the financial, technical and business support they need to change the world.”

Ireland’s Team Hermes won this year’s Software Design competition with a project that combined embedded technology, mobile devices and cloud computing technology to change driving habits and reduce road deaths.

Taiwan’s Team NTHUCS won the Embedded Development contest with project RIGHT!! This Way, which computes the safest fire escape routes in real time as detected by a wireless sensor network.

Brazil’s Team Signum Games won the Game Design category for Windows / Xbox with "UCan" a strategy game that invites players to solve urban problems involving health, education and the environment.

Team Geeklogic from France won the Game Design – Mobile contest with "Brainergy," a Windows Phone 7 puzzle game in which the player has to solve different challenges based on renewable energy.

Members of Poland’s Team Cellardoor won the Game Design – Web category, with a game which helps illustrates the importance of taking care of the environment in everyday life through the interactive story of Elm, a creature on a quest to fix the mistakes done by people around the world.

In the Windows Phone 7 category, Korea’s Team HOMERUN took first place with Peekaboo, an application designed to help family members communicate with each other through a treasure-hunt game.

The Imagine Cup People’s Choice Award was presented to Team Rapture, from Bangladesh. This is the only Imagine Cup award that is determined by the public, and it includes a $10,000 (U.S.) prize. Team Rapture created Third Eye, a Windows Phone 7 device for the visually impaired that provides an assistive camera and a special user interface with vibration, speech feedback and voice command.