Thai university students win Microsoft 2007 Imagine Cup

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - A team of Thai college students who wrote computer software to read for the illiterate took the top prize at Microsoft's 2007 Imagine Cup in Seoul yesterday.

Microsoft's fifth annual competition challenged university students to find ways to use computer technology to improve life on the planet.

The theme of the cup that culminated this week with in South Korea was education. Microsoft announced that protecting the environment will be the focus of the Imagine Cup to be held in Paris next year.

"Imagine Cup provides a forum for university students around the world to explore new ways to use the power of software to help address some of the world's toughest problems," said Microsoft chief strategy officer Craig Mundie.

The first place Team 3KC of Thailand earned won a 25,000-dollar cash prize and the attention of potential commercial backers for the invention.

The software recognizes typed and hand-written words and translates them into spoken words, enabling computers to read for people.

"We want to run a software house when we graduate and start with this application," team members said in a written statement.

Second place went to South Korean students whose software and a glove rigged with sensors converts spoken or typed words to vibrations, allowing the deaf and blind to converse.

A total of 344 students from 112 teams representing 59 countries made it to the Imagine Cup finals, which had competitions in nine categories including software, Web development and short films.

"We recognize the importance of developing (information and communications technology) expertise among young people throughout the world," said UNESCO assistant director-general Abdul Waheed Khan, who spoke at the awards ceremony.

"By challenging students to develop working solutions to development challenges, Imagine Cup allows new ideas and new economic opportunities to flourish."