Our friends in Switzerland are hosting a gadget development competition. Here are some highlights:

What is the Swiss Gadget Competition about?

Contestants develop their own Windows Live or Vista Sidebar Gadget to become the Swiss Gadget Champion 2007. They will not only compete with Swiss developers, but their gadget will also be presented to the rest of the world.

How is it set up?

The competition is set up in two phases:

Phase 1

From now till 31 May 2007: Developers design their gadgets to take part in the competition.

Phase 2

1 June till 15 June: Public voting. Any Swiss user may vote for their favorite gadget.

How does public voting work?

Criteria

1. Number of votes, weighing 30% of total score
2. Average gadget score based on customer’s votes, weighing 70% of total score

Examples

1. Number of votes: The gadget with the highest number of total votes gets 5 points. All other gadgets are valued in relation to the highest number of votes (5000 votes = 5 points, 3’000 votes = 3 points, 100 votes = 0,1 points)
2. Average gadget score: User give scores between 1 to 5 (5 = excellent, 1 = poor). Only full points can be given. The total number of points divided by the number of votes = average score.

Final score

Both results are added, based on their weighing. Should the total score be equal

1. The contestant with the higher average gadget score wins
2. Should both criteria be equal, the winner will be elected by a lucky draw

Prizes for developers

• 1st prize: Fly to the Professional Developers Conference 2007. The prize includes admission, flight in Economy Class and hotel accommodation during PDC. Value: approx 3‘500 US Dollars.
• 2nd prize: One Toshiba Flat Screen TV (82 cm, HD-ready, HDMI Digital Input und Active Vision III Plus). Value: 1’300 US Dollars
• 3rd prize: One Windows Vista Ultimate Edition (Full version) 

URL

All information is available in German and French on www.gadgetcompetition.ch