Imagine Cup 2004

The Image Cup 2003 is now behind and the 2004 version is on the strating blocks.

From PressPass:

In a ceremony today at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Jeff Raikes, group vice president of Productivity and Business Services at Microsoft Corp., presented Tu Nguyen with a $25,000 check to honor his victory in the 2003 Imagine Cup programming competition. Inspired while working in his parents' Vietnamese restaurant in Omaha, Nguyen developed an application designed to bridge the language gap between English-speaking waiters and Vietnamese-speaking chefs. Simultaneously, Microsoft announced that it will expand the 2004 Imagine Cup from one category to four invitationals designed to highlight a blend of technology and art.

"It is inspiring to witness the unique and inventive ways young people apply technology to their everyday lives," Raikes said. "Tu's innovative work is but one great example, and we are pleased to acknowledge him today."

Nguyen was one of two U.S. winners who advanced to the world championships in the 2003 Imagine Cup, where he ultimately took first prize. He designed a Point of Delivery Systems (iPODS) solution that runs on Pocket PC devices, enabling the restaurant's staff to communicate more effectively by translating food orders into each person's native language. Waiters enter orders into devices that transmit data to a local server. The data is then translated from English into the chef's native language and sent to a printer in the restaurant's kitchen. By automating the ordering process, the application eliminates the dual-entry process and inconsistency of paper tickets, saving the staff time and the restaurant money.

If you want to register go there : http://www.imaginecup.com/us/

By the way is somebody know if some of the projects are downoadable from some website ?