Sunday 1 March 2015

skignz Developer Site

Recently skignz decided to have a think about how we could allow other app developers and integrators to understand and get the chance to work with skignz to get used to our technology. 


Well after thinking what we could do, we decided to create an interface so that other app developers could launch the skignz app through their own app themselves. 

The site has been launched and you will be able to find it here 

The site provides information for those wishing to integrate the skignz geo-located augmented reality viewer app into their own app.

If you are regarding more information on more advanced integration then please see below. 

http://www.skignz.com/developers.htm

For example: skignz to display a 'Done' button which, when pressed, causes skignz to relaunch your app.

By 'more advanced integration' they mean that, if your app is considered suitable (no adult content) they'll give you a user code, which you embed in the URL scheme. Pass that and your own app URL scheme and the skignz app will provide a 'Done' button, which, when pressed, will launch your app again.
It works well.

More integration options are in the pipeline and they're busy 'running catch-up' with the Android version to get it in line with the iPhone version.

However you can find more information and all of this on the developer site. http://www.skignz.com/developers.htm.

If you have any comments, questions or special considerations please contact gary.baker@skignz.com.

If you would like to know more about skignz then please visit our website at http://www.skignz.com and don't forget to check us out on a range of the popular Social Media Channels.

Wednesday 25 February 2015

Best New Business Awards 2014 - skignz is the Winner!

It’s the day after the Best New Business Awards Tees Valley 2014. Last night was a great night, not only as we got to meet a load of great start-up companies but that skignz was the WINNER of the Marketing Award. 

This was a fantastic achievement for the skignz team and we are still very proud today for having been selected to win this award by Cool Brand Blue Communications. 

We would also like to say well done to all runners up in the Marketing category and best luck for the future!

The whole awards event was great from start to finish.

Starting the night off we got to network with a wide variety of companies on arrival. This was a chance for everyone to meet one another and require a small insight as to what each business entails. 

Once seated that was another chance to meet and network with the company/companies on your table. Luckily for skignz we had two great companies seated with us, who we thoroughly enjoyed the whole night with and got to learn a lot about them. 

One of the companies was 12th Man Solutions Ltd, who were also up for the Marketing award alongside skignz. They were a great bunch of people and their business was a great idea. 

We all had a good time in everyone’s company last night involving a lot of business talk and laughter.

The other company placed at the table with skignz was Earls of Ashwood Ltd. They are a cheesemonger and delicatessen company based in Stockton. 

We have got to say this was one of our favourite companies there last night. We all love cheese and by the sounds of what Earls of Ashwood provide, we are defiantly heading to their shop this weekend to taste some of their great delicacies.

Moving on in the night we had a lovely 3 course meal provided by BNBA Tees Valley. 

We all thoroughly enjoyed each part of the meal and have got to say were very full by the end of it, not to mention the free wine flowing sponsored by Big Bite Communications – a big thank you, you kept us all very hydrated throughout the night!



Then it was time for the awards. Each category had three nominees. All of the business ideas were truly great and everyone deserved their place last night.

Coming to the Marketing award there were some great other companies up for the award so we thought we had a low chance of winning it. However it is fair to say we were truly surprised when skignz got announced as the winner for the Marketing category. 


This was a proud moment for us! We only wish someone could have got a photo of us in that moment in time to see the shocked look on our faces! 



We would like to say well done to all the other winners of the night also and to the overall winner C&A Pumps and Engineering Ltd.

We would also like to say a big well done to Prince’s Trust for providing opportunities for young people to help support them and change their life for the better. 

The story we heard from their young promotional speaker was truly inspiring and it showed not just us but everyone just how exceptionally inspiring the company is. They raised an amazing £930 last night and we hope it hit the £1K as the night ended.  

Ending on a high, we had a great night and hope to be entering again next year in a different category! Well done to everyone again and a big thanks to Colin Brown for organising the whole event and proving all companies with great opportunities available last night!

If you would like to know more about The Best New Business Awards 2015 then please visit http://www.bestnewbusinessawards.com/

If you would like to know more about The Prince's Trust then please visit http://www.princes-trust.org.uk/

If you would like to know more about skignz then please visit our website at http://www.skignz.com and don't forget to check us out on a range of the popular Social Media Channels.

Monday 23 February 2015

It's all about #RetroMonday

Throwback Thursday #TBT has been such a big hit across all social media with people looking back to their past and throwing back to old memories they have and showing them through posting an old photo to their social media sites. 

So skignz decided to see if a new trend can start #RetroMonday. This gives everyone the chance from older generation to younger generation to have a think way back to their past when everything now would seem to be ‘retro’ and share it with everyone on their social media sites. 



Throwback Thursday is lots of fun to be a part of so why not start a new trend. Last Monday saw #RetroMonday take part in everyone showing pictures of their old computers what they had back in the day. It is lots of fun to look back and retrieve a blast from the past and bring back some of those good memories that make you laugh that you ever owned one of those, or even so who still owns one to this day. 

Here are some of the tweets people posted last week regarding their old computers on #RetroMonday

- Cartor Designs stated: “Our 1st computer was an Acorn Electron! #retromonday #discoverskignz #skignz”




- Wells Solutions stated:#retromonday my 1st PCwas a big heavy IBM Laptop #discoverskignz #skignz”




- Team Services Ltd stated: “@skignz @faris_int our 1st PC was similar to this tower! It wasn't branded but it was massive #retromonday #skignz”.



#RetroMonday would be a great trend to get going, so have a think ready for next Monday and wait for the new retro topic for that day to be released and get yourselves and others involved! 

Make sure you get yourselves on Twitter next Monday and start hash tagging your #RetroMonday old memories! 

If you would like to know more about skignz then please visit our website at http://www.skignz.com and don't forget to check us out on a range of the popular Social Media Channels.

Saturday 21 February 2015

Festival Hack Day - BBC6 Music

Summary of the Event...

Friday 20th February 2015, 9:30am till 4pm the next day!!! 
Located at The Core, Newcastle University, Newcastle, Students and local tech based SME's attended and partners included BBC 6 Music, Generator, Newcastle University.

AIM: To produce an app that would develop their festival ideas into web and mobile apps to trial at the event. From creating personal line ups, to finding friends, learning more about the bands performing live and sharing unique festival stories – the creators at Festival Hack Day will have an open brief to look at all elements of the live music experience.team







So where do skignz fit in?

We decided to take part as one of the regions Tech based SME's, but we felt as the skignz technology platform which we have been developing over the last few years. 

skignz provides any festival with a significantly enhanced user experience, introduces fresh new tech and helps in areas where problems have only been present in the past.



  
We felt it would be unfair to 'enter skignz' so what we did was provide the 'hackers' with some code that they could include in their own app ideas that would launch the skignz tech. So we developed an onsite demo for each of the hackers to access, giving them an understand of what skignz is capable of then we encouraged them to set up their own accounts, so when they launched the skignz browser from their apps they would have meaningful content.


              

Many congratulations must go to the awesome OrangeBus team as they were overall winners with the best Hack!


Check out the story of the hack on their storify feed:

https://storify.com/orangebus/orange-bus-follow-the-music-and-win?utm_source=orangebus.co.uk&utm_content=storify-pingback&utm_campaign=&awesm=sfy.co_i0KTL&utm_medium=sfy.co-twitter

What did some of the participants say?:


Take a look at the below links all connected with the event. Lots of feedback, insight and musing about the whole event:

Hugh Rawlinsons Blog Post:
http://blog.soundwave.com/bbc-6-music-festival-hack-day/


Newcastle University:
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/press.office/press.release/item/hour-festival-hack-day-announced-as-part-of-the-6-music-festival-on-tyneside

M Magazine:

http://www.m-magazine.co.uk/news/6-music-festival-host-hack-day/

OrangeBus:

http://www.orangebus.co.uk/en/blog/orange-bus-follow-the-music

If you would like to know more about Generator NE
http://www.generator.org.uk/

For more information on BBC Radio 6 Music festival then please take a look here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/events/e8qbj5

Check out the Gallery below for some further images through the eyes of skignz:

























If you would like to know more about skignz then please visit our website at http://www.skignz.com and don't forget to check us out on a range of the popular Social Media Channels.