This year Nokia could be bringing a fun Finnish Christmas to you in the UK. Imagine Father Christmas, reindeer, elves, snow, presents and lashings of food and drink inspired by Marco Pierre White.

If you live in the UK vote here now. The town with the most votes wins. The competition closes on the 16th November.

Last month we posted the first in a series of short films called the Nseries Portraits. Each film focuses on someone interesting who uses technology to stay connected to what’s important to them in their lives.

This film focuses on Scott McMorris, who is one of the top snowboarders in Europe.

We’ll be posting the next in the series soon so watch this space.

This is what went on:

John and Sally were to get married, but things didn’t turn out quite as planned (See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VG0k6hmQ-nc ) Sally, the bride wasn’t too happy about it and as a vengeance, she decided to sell the groomsmen gifts on eBay for $1 each during a 24 hour period. (See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEKwEqCbtRY&feature=response_watch)
Sally then tweeted every time new items were put on sale and soon an N900, N97, N97 mini, N86 (all with Bluetooth headsets) and another N900 with an around the world trip thrown in were selling like hotcakes!

We want to thank everyone who were online as it happens; there has been a great reaction and we’ve really enjoyed being part of it. So much so we have decided that we would like to continue the story…No cancel that…we would like YOU to continue the story.

So we are challenging you guys to come up with the next episode in John’s ill-fated existence. All you have to do is submit a video highlighting your idea – it can be an acted version of a script, a storyboard of sketches, or just you talking us through your idea. Anything goes. It just needs to get the idea across and should focus on John and the problems he encounters by being Offline as it Happens”. The entry mechanics and the usual T&C’s can be found over at the Nokia YouTube channel
Now to the most interesting part…the prize! The winner, chosen by a Nokia judging panel, will win, as a bare minimum, an N900 and BH-905. However, as if that wasn’t enough, there is also the possibility of a second prize. Depending on feasibility, the plan is to get the winning entry professionally shot, produced and released on YouTube as the final video in the series, giving you the opportunity to help create your very own Nokia commercial!

So get those creative juices flowing, get your best Spielberg hat on, and get directing….

Good luck all!

A new competition has launched challenging you to use an app from the Ovi Store in a new or interesting way. Upload a photo, video, recording, blog post, or even just a description of you using an app (or anything else from the store) in an innovative way and you can win a brand new N900, N97, N97mini or noise cancelling bluetooth headphones.

Read more about the competition and submit your idea before the 6th November here.

Check out this video for inspiration.

Looks like there’s trouble brewing at the North West Chapel! Our hapless protagonist, star of the Offline as it Happens videos, is struggling to get the groom to his big day on time. Despite his previous mistakes, it seems that John, the best man, will never learn that it’s wise to be online. Go and visit the chapel to see how he gets on. Believe us when we say this is not a wedding you are going to want to miss! As for the Sally, the blushing bride to be, she is not a happy woman. Don’t forget to check out what she has to say – we’ve got a feeling it is going to get interesting

Can you spot anyone you recognize in the video?

What is it?

A 50 meter tall motorized signpost with one clear purpose, showing the way to good stuff all around the world. Based on the simplest form of giving someone directions (pointing) it lets you share the places you love, or tells you about the places others love. When the signpost is live it constantly turns and shows the distance and direction to new Good Things. Submit your favorite cafe, an upcoming concert or a rare record store and the signpost will automatically turn in the right direction and the giant LED screen will light up.

How does it work?

The Good Things feature in Ovi Maps provide us with all the Good Things we post on the signpost. There we get the title, description, location and through some mapping magic we find out the direction and distance. When the Good Thing is ready we push it up on the signpost and turn it in the right direction.

Bob and Neil, making sure new Good Things are continuously posted on the signpost

Ian, Head of cameras, capturing the Good Things from their best angle for the live feed on nokia.com/maps nokia.com/maps

During the first day the servers were flooded with people trying to get their Good Things on the signpost. Unfortunately we couldn’t show them all (actually there were so many so we could only show a small portion of them) but keep submitting your favorite restaurants, bike trails, bus stops, chimney pots, anything and we’ll keep that arrow swinging over central London.

You can either submit your Good Thing here.

PS. Don’t forget to follow the signpost on twitter . You can also visit our facebook page here

The ‘good things’ campaign launched in London today with a huge signpost erected near Tower Bridget in the capital. To celebrate the launch of the N97 mini and the latest version of Ovi Maps anyone in the UK can share their favourite things by texting a message to 62010 or visiting here. Your message will then be displayed on a 40ft long signpost above London’s skyline and pointed to.

You can check out the latest messages on the crane here.

Accompanying the signpost is a nationwide competition where towns and cities compete to win an exclusive gig with Alexandra Burke, the winner of last years X Factor in the UK. The more votes your town generate the more chance you have of winning the one-off gig in your area. You can vote here now.

Applause, fanfares and old school ringtones – the Cityman 2009 is here!

Congratulations to the winner and thanks for everyone who participated. The winner will be contacted by email, and gets to choose between a Nokia N900 or a N97mini.

Well done!

Everyone keeps saying London is all about rain rain and fog. Couldn’t disagree more, ever since we started we’ve really had the weather on our side. Today we started building the main structure of the signpost itself, and since the shear size of it is 8 meters tall and the length of two double decker busses, we had to lift it step by step while adding rows of Hi-Def LED screens.

We were also figuring out how to transmit video signals with a 120 meter long cable without getting too much interference, given that London largest Airport was not too far away that was easier said than done.

Check back soon.

Everyone gets sleepy from time to time and needs somewhere to sleep, and the same thing goes for our signpost. So in this episode still waiting for the main character in the enter the show, you could say we’re building its bed, a place for it to rest during the night. Only, this bed is twenty meters long and can take the weight of at least ten tons.

More to come