With so much to choose from – December is always a busy month as people relax into the holidays – I’ve been scratching my head trying to leave things out. But the task is complete, and the top ten drawn up – including NokiaTube, Design Week and the #AmazingBackground competition (that’s ongoing, so may well appear in next month’s cool things list). So without further ado…
1. With episodes filmed in various European cities from Berlin to Paris, the Little Amazing Show has been showcasing those small things that can put a smile on your face (all part of the #AmazingEveryday that you’ll have seen around and about). Amazing.
2. Our browse round the globe of videos starring Nokia phones – that we’ve cunningly called NokiaTube – kicked off in December, and we’ve been updating you weekly on all things weird and wonderful. From ice blocks in Germany and Bollywood flash mobs to N8-filmed stop motion animation and global puzzle apps. What will we find this coming Friday? Only time will tell…
3. A phone launch is always a special time, and December in New York saw the Nokia Lumia 710 announcement. In a joint event with T-Mobile, the invited throng were introduced to the phone and even got some hands on time.
4. Some of the most outstanding photographs of 2011 came from Sheridan01’s N8 posts from New York and London. Some simply stunning shots were taken, and Richard quickly reaffirmed the title of ‘imaging king’ on the N8.
For an idea of how to take such amazing pics, Richard produced a guide on photography (with the N9), or the detailed post from The Tech Bishop on the technicalities of mobile photography. Now get out there and get snapping!
5. Nokia Connects had a strong focus on Design Week last month, with posts looking forward to Helsinki being chosen as the Design Capital for 2012 and a retrospective of Nokia products that changed the world. There was also a detailed look at how life in the Nordic region has affected design at Nokia. Fascinating.
6. The Mapstronaut featured strong in December, hot off the back of his European tour. This time he was offering up €1000 for readers to spend at their favourite place on earth! There were gazillions of entries (it’s a real word), ranging from rock climbing in Ramnagaram to the mall to beat them all, the Mall of America. But the ultimate decision (made by the ever-enigmatic Mapstronaut himself) was that Neil should be able to spend the money at SM City.
7. Then, over the Christmas holiday period, Angry Birds had something of a high point. On one single day (December 25th), there were 6.5 *million* downloads of the game and its variants worldwide. Six point five million. In. One. Day. Wow! Ordinarily a perfect excuse to post a video such as the one from SXSW. But today, just think about the numbers.
8. Another contest that was started in December was the #AmazingBackground competition – thrown open for you, the community, to choose our Twitter background. On a regular basis, this will be swapped for another of your pics (snapped on a Nokia, of course). For the Winter Wonderland challenge, however, Vauhti came up trumps with the image at the top of this post.
9. The IdeasProject has been going for a while, with over 7,700 ideas already in the bank, and in December the Imagine Cup was launched. It’s your chance to get involved, build on an idea from the IdeasProject (or your own, that’s cool too) and turn the idea into reality! A great chance to put thinkers in contact with doers and make the imagined real. If you have an idea, or think you can build on one you have already seen, get involved!
10. Finally for December, another cameraphone ‘cool thing’ – the rise and rise of street photography. Yes, I know it didn’t start or finish in December, but we wrote a pretty cool post about it, and the access that a cameraphone gets you. We even highlighted the Hardcore Cellphone Street Photography group on Flickr – an awesome name if ever I saw one. Remember, you have an amazing tool in your pocket/purse. Use it (like Roland Tanglao does every day – his pics document his life like no one I have ever met).
Bonus cool thing – Christmas! It’s always cool to get together with family, so this makes my list at number 11 🙂
So that wraps it up. Ten (and a half) cool things that happened in December. Got any to add? Anything we missed, or you think should have made the Top Ten? Drop us a line @Nokia_Connects.