Without spilling too many beans before the launch, we're on the home straight with Happy Packages version 3.0.

Thus far the project has taken numerous twists and turns as the good ship Happy sails through the south seas, buffeted by the winds of changing opninion, words of advice and expanding ambitions. At the core of the second phase was the concept of social mapping; not the mapping of social networks, but the creation of networks according to the places we visit, and by extension, the places we might like to visit, as recommended by various other networks with common likes and dislikes.

 We investigated ways of rating places (big red button, big green button!) and the criteria by which we rate, which lead to the concept of creating a whole new language of ratingby using the unique ways of interacting with the iPhone. Stroke it if you like it, shake it if you hate it, tap it if the prices are sky high, draw a circle if you're feeling nice and cosy. The next problem we faced was the task of reproducing these 'ratings' for people who are observing, and not actually engaging in the rating process. How do you feedback the way a user stroked the screen to suggest comfortable chairs? The iPhone is not yet capable of doing this, but what it does have is excellent screen technology, and so thanks to a brainwave from Tom of Mobile Pie, we are now working with ... faces.

 Faces communicate everything - sadness, surprise, happiness and hatred. How can we harness the power of the brain to interpret faces so we can leave ratings and packages of happiness around the city? Watch this space...

Posted by Ben Templeton