Eight years ago, Antão Almada was sitting in his cubicle as a Senior Software Engineer in Palo Alto thinking, “what next?” He was already happily married and had begun venturing into the world of fatherhood when he received a call from António Câmara asking him to come on board a new project, which would eventually become YDreams. Knowing from the start of his Silicon Valley adventure that he wanted to return to Portugal, he also knew that working with Professor Câmara could be an even greater experience than Paraform, and the laid-back environment he had become accustomed to would certainly be maintained. Eight years later, Antão is the Strategic Software Development Director at YDreams R&D unit, YLabs, where he is responsible for investigating and keeping up-to-date with up and coming technologies, and then applying them to YDreams products. Most of his day is spent on his computer, applying the most recent technologies to keep YDreams in the technological vanguard. All this is done using his ergonomic keyboard - a living relic from his Silicone Valley days.

His quiet and reserved exterior can fool the mere onlooker. When I arrived at YLabs to chat with Antão,, he was sitting behind a computer, surrounded by five YLabers while he cracked some sort of complex code using C#, his favourite computing language.

Antão has been at YDreams since its founding, has many prospects for the future and accomplishments from the past. To date, his favourite project has been the development of YDreams proprietary platform, in which all of our latest interactive installations are based. The development required a great amount of teamwork, and the result was an extremely innovative platform. Antão hopes YDreams continues to innovate in the field of reality computing and become a world leader in augmented reality. Projects that are underway are obviously top-secret, however, Antão assured me that we haven’t seen the last of Flapi yet. “Flapi is only a stepping stone for greater things to come.”

Computers aren’t everything for our Strategic Software Development Director. When I asked him what his main hobby was “Family” immediately shot-out. Having two small children is a full time job. Collecting miniature cars also captures his attention when he’s not out riding his BMX.

No need to wait for those sliding doors to part to be greeted by family, friends or the friendly driver holding up the huge sign with your name on it.

Barclays has done the next best thing. Along with YDreams, they’ve crafted an interactive walkway that welcomes passengers to Lisbon in 12 different languages. The 32-meter long walkway extends throughout most of the baggage claim section of Lisbon international airport and reveals the welcome note in a multitude of tongues as people stroll over the animated pathway.

For more details read here.

Flapi, our in-house Augmented Reality mascot, is on the spotlight again. After a high-profile stint at Engadget, this time Flapi stars in an Exame Informática (a Portuguese leading IT magazine) article and video.

You can find the video below, where Ivan Franco, our R&D Director, talks about YDreams’ work with Augmented Reality, and showcases Flapi and the Interactive Bubbles (in portuguese):

UM is one of Portugal’s first experimental and mixed media art festivals. The International Festival for Experimental and Mixed Media joins national and international artists under one roof. All of these artists are interested in creating different forms of media where interactivity and liveliness are the protagonists. The theme for the 2008 edition of the festival is Gesture and Movement.

Not only is YDreams sponsoring the event, but Ivan Franco, YDreams’ Research and Development director, will be one of the main speakers of a panel that focuses on gesture and movement based interfaces.

The Festival is going to be held throughout the city of Lisbon from the 19^th to the 22 of June, 2008.

For more information, check out: http://www.1um1.net

YDreams’ interactive installation at the Portuguese pavillion in Zaragoza’s international exhibition is drawing a lot of media and public recognition. An 18-meter wide wall projection, allows visitors to ‘grab’ words that fall from the sky directly into a Guadiana River image. The public interacts by moving their hands over the screen, selecting and watching as the words splash in mix of sound and light, amounting to a better understanding of sustainable development issues.

You can read all about it in our press release and, judging from all the comments featured in the media so far, it’s a definite highlight of the whole exhibition. Even the Portuguese Republic President, Cavaco Silva, interacted with it on the inaugural day and seemed to enjoy himself.

And please do check João Vitória’s, our Zaragoza project manager and in-house illusionist, interview to SIC tv channel, which you can find right here.

“Now watch closely as I make your logo disappear!” João Vitória, Project Manager at YDreams, offering to use his incredible magical skills to make SIC’s logo disappear into thin air.

Exactly 348 days from its initial debut in the North American market, the coveted iPhone is going to be the European accessory for the summer. However, this time was worth the wait. The new iPhone 3G is faster comes with even more applications and other goodies. Best of all, and like one YDreamer mentioned, it can be cheaper than a tank of diesel (at least for those of you who have a 2003 Land Rover Discovery that holds 93 litres of black gold.)

Various questions still remain. Will we be tied to a binding two year contract with our mobile service carrier? How will the iPhone 3G perform compared to its stiff European competition?

A few YDreamers are already carrying it around, but will the rest of the YBuilding adhere to the fad? More importantly will the rest of Portugal, Europe, the World, the Universe join the iPhone cult? We’ll just have to wait and see whilst patiently hold our “uncool” mobile phones. T minus 25 days and counting….

We’ve delivered the YBenches to CP Proximity for their client Grupo Damm, which distributes the Budweiser brand in Spain.

The campaign, called The Budweiser Sound Experience, consists in going to different bars during the weekend to promote Budweiser. Clients are encouraged by promoters to play with the Benches, in successive rounds. The winner takes home a MP3 player.

The software created is a musical game that contains the word Budweiser and each letter is a key. There are inactive keys and as the players keep playing more letters get active and the game gets more and more difficult each time. A kind of a “Simon Says” game.The action will take place in Madrid and Barcelona and will be done in 184 bars in total. This promotion will last four months, however it will stop during the summer time.

By António Câmara’s request, YBand applied to fight in the 8th edition of the Battle of the Corporate Bands - a contest promoted by Fortune magazine, seeking to find the best band formed mainly by amateur musicians working in a given company.

Well, that’s an order any of us at YBand were more than happy to fulfill! Not only there’s a personal joy to it, but a huge marketing potential as well, if we go any far in the competition.

So, we embraced the challenge with a sense of responsibility towards the company, and a great dose of childish excitement, for having an opportunity to do something different with our amateur skills for music.

First step was to decide how we would start the whole process. Each band needed to send 3 songs to the promoters. Sounds easy, doesn’t it? Keep in mind that there are 32 members in YBand. We needed to pick 3 songs, and that meant leaving some of us out of the fun.

Through a voting pole, we decided that we would pick the 3 songs without worrying about who would eventually record them. Luckily, the 3 songs that were selected in that pole were songs that we already recorded for the Xmas CD. Thus, some of us went back to the studio to either remix, retouch or even re-record the song altogether.

Next step: send it to the jury. In order to participate, we were required to create a Sonicbids EPK (www.sonicbids.com/yband2006) and wait for the results. I was always very confident that we were going to be selected, and we all started believing when the promoters sent me some emails asking whether we need to have 32 members on stage.

And then, bingo! We got the news that we were selected! You can check for yourselves at www.sonicbids.com/yband2006 how our re-recordings worked out for the jury – (please do, it sounds a lot better than the CD, I think)

Next step in the competition is to play live a 20 minutes gig in London, August 23^rd, were other 5 bands will also be playing. If we win that competition, we will play the final in Cleveland against yet another 7 bands, selected throughout the United States.

I got the confirmation that we could not change band members during the London semi-final, so we went through the unpleasant task of selecting who will go and who will not. Democracy played an important role again, as we voted the formation that will represent YDreams in the London gig: Petra Pais, Luis Ferreira, Fernando Gomes, Luis Vargas, João Afonso, Octácio Rodrigues and Bruno Neto are the lucky ones.

This week we finally got toghether to agree on a set list. Here it is:

1 - Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out 3:30

2 - When Love Comes to Town 6:00

3 - Head On 2:00

4 – Everlong 4:00

5 - Mojo Working 4:00

Rehearsals will start in mid-July. If any of you can be in London next August, 23^rd, please do, we appreciate your support!

Monica Souza, from the YDreams São Paulo office, is the ultimate multi-tasker. Not only is she an account manager, she is also responsible for all of YDreams’ public relations and marketing in Brazil… which is only the fifth biggest country in the world… but who’s measuring?

Monica looks extremely happy in her pink surroundings *(N.B) in this picture, and with good reason. She coordinated the interactive cross media Coca-Cola campaign which was an enormous triumph and success.

YDreams Brasil continues to flourish. To add a cherry on top of Monica’s achievements, the São Paulo office will soon have their own showroom to display all of YDreams’ goodies!

* Note: Pink mobile phones, pink computer, pink nail polish and coincidentally, Madonna’s wearing pink on her Confessions on a Dance Floor album cover!

In January 2006, YDreams closed a round of venture capital funding led by ES Tech Ventures somewhere in the neighborhood of 8.5 million Euros, which provided the company with the boost it needed to go to the next step. Most of you already know this, but I thought I’d take a trip down memory lane and share with you some of the months that led to Alfredo, our Director of Finance (most probably accompanied by his four-legged friend Bones) walking into our bank branch, wearing one of his trademark t-shirts, with a check for 8.5 million Euros in his pocket. I would’ve loved to have seen the look on that teller’s face.

The month’s that preceded January 2006 were grueling to say the least. We’re talking endless bureaucratic procedures such as scary legal due diligences and extensive financial audits. I personally recall a few all-nighters, buried under mountains of paper, crunching numbers and trying to figure out exactly what went where, when and how. I wasn’t alone of course. All us Jurassic YDreamers were in it together – just ask anyone who was around then – unless of course they’ve blocked it out entirely.

“Multi-tasking” was the word of the moment with everyone pitching in, doing pretty much anything from mounting projectors and preparing impactful presentations to scrambling for caterers willing to come to the FCT campus at the spur-of-the-moment for potential investors who seemed to pop in every other day. It was nerve-wrecking, often tiring but also extremely exciting. We were all sure something good was about to happen - it was almost palpable.

Interactivity is clearly the future. Drew Barrows, an NYU student has developed a virtual girlfriend for the Interactive Telecommunications Program Spring Show at the Tisch School of the Arts. This “girlfriend” uses INBED technology, and reacts to her “partners” every move. If he lies on his back, then she curls up onto him, if he curls up into the popular fetal position, she will join him. Although this 2D projection doesn’t speak, it interacts to people’s movements.

Could Flapi, our Internet celebrity, eventually turn into a walking and talking boyfriend? If this existed when I was a kid, then my imaginary friend who lived in the attic could be seen, heard and interacted with, and I might not have been labelled as a lonely only child - just a nerd.

Source: New York Magazine ; Drew Burrows (Image)

After delivery of the first information point to a school in the greater Lisbon area, a second information point has reached the Azores. A school in Ponta Delgada, the archipelago’s capital city, was the proud recipient of a pair of solar panels as well as one of our “Escola Solar”(Solar School) information points.

The info points give students a chance to learn more about how Solar Energy is produced and the processes involved. They also provide additional updated info about how much solar energy is being produced by the panels installed at each of the twenty schools involved in the project.

The initiative was promoted by “Better World”, Rock & Rio’s agency for sustainable development, which has selected the environment as this year’s theme.

2 down, 18 to go!

The premiere launch at school in Estoril, Portugal

Games Alfresco has just referenced YDreams’ SimVideo as one of the top 10 Augmented Reality engines around (post). The blog is dedicated to the pursuit of the ultimate augmented reality game, and features a lot of information about AR and related developments. Jump to gamesalfresco.com for more.

This month’s Exame magazine has an article about innovation in the business world. The piece also features a survey about innovation practices and perceptions in Portugal, and a top 10 of Portugal’s most innovative companies. YDreams ranked 3rd place, behind big players like Renova and Brisa.

The complete ranking:

1 Renova
2 Brisa (Via Verde)
3 YDreams
4 Vodafone
5 Bial
6 Martifer
7 Logoplaste
8 TMN
9 Galp Energia
10 Compal

Reuters reports on the implementation of a 4th basic element for passive electronic circuits achieved by Hewlett-Packard.

The memristor, till now merely theoretical, opens the possibility for zero-wait-time devices.

http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSN3055349720080430

HP Labs have been at the forefront of electrotechnical/electronic engineering with such milestones as developing the first commercial LEDs in 1968 and launching the first thermal inkjet printer in 1984. Their estimate is that for each good idea that reaches production, there are about a dozen flops. Current research includes utility computing and quantum computing.

Darius Mahdjoubi, a researcher at the University of Texas at Austin, believes that YDreams is a “gazelle” type company: one that, after years of consistent development of intellectual property and products, will grow “explosively” in the global market. Darius will actually follow our development in the coming years to verify his research hypothesis.

YDreams founders are determined to contribute towards Darius’ research success. Like many “gazelle” companies before us (most historic tech companies were once “gazelles”), we have a strong vision, superb research and international class products and project development. YDreams intends to be the world leader in the creation of unique interactive objects and environments. References such as NOKIA, Vodafone, Adidas, Nike, Coca-Cola and Portugal Telecom in over fifteen countries have provided YDreams with the required credibility to claim such leadership.

A few months ago we realized we needed the help of a senior manager to take YDreams to the next level. We could not be happier with the person that is now our new Chief Operating Officer: Victor Centeno. Victor brings a wealth of management and marketing experiences from his tenures at companies such as Johnson and Johnson and Diageo in several countries. He will be instrumental in setting the environment for the success of the new YDreams products that will be launched in May 2008.

Not long ago YDreams had to suffer through cramped Portuguese offices located in Lisbon and Caparica. Today we are very happy with our new headquarters located on the campus of the New University of Lisbon in Caparica. The 2000 square meter building houses all YDreams divisions and displays most of our past and current work. YDreamers are also able to use the facility to support extra-curricular activities: our rock band will have a studio; we will have locker rooms for our surfers, bikers, tennis, basketball and football players. There will be also a bio-agricultural field for those inclined to cultivate it.

YDreams has entered a new era.

*[editorial featured on the fourth edition of our quarterly Newsletter]

YDreams and Ovibeja together in the same sentence could be unlikely but the truth is: if you visit this year’s edition of the Ovibeja fair you will find YDreams technology in Mértola’s municipality exhibition area. This fair is known for being the biggest ‘agriculture do’ in Portugal, combining best of breed tradition and innovation. Mértola municipality hosts the best of innovation presenting its historical, cultural and natural heritage with YDreams technology.

Mértola Landscape Projection

You can discover several interesting locations in Mértola’s landscape projection by pointing a flashlight that pops up information as you find heritage spots such as “Oficina de Tecelagem” (Weaving Workshop), “Castelo” (Castle) and “Torre do Relógio” (the Clock Tower). Another interactive solution showcased in Mértola’s exhibition area is a sand-like walkway. As you walk over the sand, it fades and reveals incredible Arabic tile work that once covered the floor of Mértola’s Castle.

Sand-like Walkway

This innovative way of presenting historical, cultural and natural heritage is a preview of what will be a re-qualification project for “Casa Romana” (the Roman House) and “Núcleo do Ferreiro” (the Ferreira Nucleus), two important museums in the region, to be developed together by YDreams and the Mértola municipality until the end of 2008.Ovibeja’s 25^th edition started last April 26^th and runs till May 4^th. For more information please go to: www.ovibeja.com. And for more news about Mértola municipality check their website.

Few things are more characteristically Portuguese than the famed Calçada Portuguesa or Portuguese pavement. A joy to behold, there is nothing more picturesque than a stroll along our highly recognizable sidewalks, so long as you aren’t wearing stilettos.

With this in mind, YDreams and OMG Digital made sure the very first thing visitors set foot upon when entering Portugal, was exactly that – a virtual Calçada Portuguesa - created for Nissan, and aimed at promoting the brand’s recent launch of the Nissan Qashqai.

The 34-meter walkway extends along most of Lisbon’s baggage claim area and surprises visitors by unraveling some very cool images of the Nissan Qashqai as they stroll over the virtual pavement, without the embarrassing risk of anyone getting their heels caught in the cracks of the pavement!

I´m very sad this week because the cutest project that I’ve ever worked on in my entire life … just finished. I literally shed a few tears once it was over because I don´t quite know how to explain my feelings about it. Maybe the child inside of me will miss the sensation of Happiness every time I saw the people interacting in front of the screen, taking pictures of the giant Coke bottle (with real coke inside … imagine the smell) or just laughing along with the TV Coke commercial.

The Happiness Factory from Coca-Cola was such a pleasure and a job perfectly done. Everything was perfect. Of course there were endless nights running tests and some nervousness, but from the very start, when we were invited to be a part of the it, we could see that this would be “The Project”, here in Brazil. One month of hard and pleasurable work.

I would like to congratulate every YDreamer involved. Capeta, Renan, Caetano and Daniel Prado, as well as the people at Gringo (our partner ad agency) and Coca-Cola, thank you for making my dream come true.

Recently, Engadget, a web magazine with daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics, picked up on our Flapi YouTube video, which gave viewers a look into what goes on at YLabs, our in-house R&D lab.

There’s more where Flapi came from, so we thought we’d share a clip about an augmented reality experiment involving foamy virtual bubbles. We stumbling upon the technology about a year back and at the time weren’t quite sure what to do with it.

YLabbies try out Virtual Bubbles

Below take a quick peak at how the creative use of an ingenuous lab experiment gave way to a fun interactive experience for movie-goers in São Paulo, Brazil:

Interactive Cinema Experience at São Paulo Movie Theaters