“This month, she is witnessing several milestones for the company she started in 2003 and operates with 33 employees out of an office in New Westminster. A commercial her company produced to promote Variety The Children’s Charity Show of Hearts Telethon Feb. 11 and 12 will be airing on Global TV and Cackleberries will be launching “Variety House” in the virtual world of Oville with games, videos and books about special needs issues.

Foster said the partnership between Cackleberries and Variety is a natural because both have a vision of making the world a better place for children.

In addition to the partnership with Variety, Cackleberries is launching the paid membership component of its virtual world for children ages 3-7. Although children can play in the Cackleberries virtual world now for free, they will get access to more stories, as well as arts and crafts, music and early learning activities for a monthly fee.

There is an English as a Second language component for Cackleberries as well, which is being marketed to China, where 10,000 packages have been sold.”

You can read the rest of the interview on the Tri-City News site.

Minifono Candy Toy Phone is a children’s app that provides a fun filled way for the kids to learn the numbers from 0 to 9. Each of these numbers is connected to the pronunciation for that number in Spanish and English, and children also learn the spellings by viewing them on the viewer screen. The new version is full of attractive graphics and animations that the kids love to watch, and is accompanied beautiful background music to keep them engrossed in this amazing learning experience.

Minifono Candy Toy Phone is priced at 99 cents USD and is rated 4+. The app is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad devices running iOS 3.2 or later.

“As a game designer and developer, I love my iPad. But as a new father, I realized how much my son loves it too. I decided I could put my experience developing for iPad to use, and build an app for my son to play with, and Baby’s Musical Hands was born!” says creator Owen Goss, founder of Streaming Colour Studios.

Features:

* Baby’s Musical Hands supports full multi-touch, meaning your baby gets the kind of feedback they expect when touching the screen.
* Baby’s Musical Hands respects the iPad’s mute switch and volume buttons, if you want your baby to enjoy a visual feast without the sounds.

Always one to encourage early adoption, here is a video of Trainyard creator Matt Rix’s  son Toren testing out the technology:

+100 for cuteness

Originally published in 1982, Blue Hat, Green Hat is one of Boynton’s all time bestselling titles, having sold over four million copies. Working closely with Loud Crow, Boynton designed the interactive concepts, wrote and produced the soundtrack with Michael Ford, and digitally recreated the original illustrations with new animations to ensure this interactive re-imagination delights fans while keeping true to the spirit of her widely-loved board book. Loud Crow then carefully worked its widely-praised technical magic to fully realize and enhance her interactive concepts.

“It was great fun to re-invent Blue Hat, Green Hat as an interactive e-book app,” says Boynton, “collaborating again with my endlessly clever Loud Crow friends. The digital dimension gave us so many terrific opportunities for adding theatrical flair to this spare yet decidedly Vaudeville book.”

Blue Hat, Green Hat is compatible with Phone, iPod touch and iPad devices running iOS 3.2 or later.

Grand Prize Draw: One (1) Grand Prize draw will be made at 1 pm on Friday September 2, 2011. The Grand Prize winner will be randomly selected among the entries and the name of each winning entry will be declared the potential winner.

Bi-Weekly Prize Draws: Nine (9) Weekly Prize draws will be made every second Friday starting May 6th, 2011. Each of the Weekly Prize winners will be randomly selected among the entries and the name of each winning entry will be declared the potential winner.

All you have to do to win is talk about Tiga Talk by using the form or links on the Contest Info Page to share Tiga Talk with your friends on Twitter, Facebook or Tumblr, or show them your  own Tiga Talk blog, YouTube video or other way you are spreading the good word about Tiga Talk. Please refer to the Contest Rules for full entry and prize details.

Tiga Talk, the companion game to APTN’s television show by the same name, is currently on sale for $1.99 USD in the iTunes App Store, and was developed with licensed speech and language pathologists. Tiga Talk is a fun way for children to develop speech sounds through playful voice-controlled games that can improve speech clarity, articulation, and instill confidence. The app is for parents and speech therapists working with toddlers and children with language delays, as well as any parent looking to give their child a head start in early language development.

Children learn fundamental phonetic sounds, that are the building blocks of language, as they play 23 fun voice controlled games on an imaginative adventure with Tiga and friends. Game play rewards are based entirely on participation, not accuracy, so the child is constantly getting positive feedback as long as they are trying to make sounds.

Game activities include piloting a boat, helicopter, hot air balloon, race car, train, submarine, and even flying a rocket ship to visit the moon. Players can pop balloons to reveal clues to guide them on their adventure as well as knock over obstacles that lay in their path, including towers of tires, ice blocks, hay bales, crates, logs or even moon rocks.

Before each game children are introduced to a new phonetic sound by game characters. They are shown a cartoon image representing the sound and are encouraged to try saying the sound aloud. The app listens to make sure they’re verbally participating and congratulates them if they are and showers them with friendly encouragement if they aren’t.

Tiga Talk’s other features include:

• Voice controlled games encourage kids to speak clearly
• Game play based on actual speech therapy sessions
• Beautifully vibrant graphics and a variety fun learning games designed to engage young children
• Entertaining cartoon characters deliver lots of positive feedback
• An exciting interactive story adventure
• Licensed speech therapists selected the apps 23 core phonetic sounds
• Audio and video hints help demonstrate the correct way to make language sounds
• A sound meter to measure voice volume levels
• Track progress and earn gold stars the more you play
• Children are able to practice specific sounds and games
• So easy to play young children can even use it by themselves

Here are just some of the benefits to be gained with Tiga Talk:

• A great way for all kids to get a head start on language development
• Kids learn to pronounce sounds more accurately including syllables, letters, and letter combinations
• Help your child improve coordination and strength of speech muscles
• Children learn through sound repetition and imitation
• Children differentiate between sounds they hear and create a broader base vocabulary
• Improve communication between the child’s brain and the body through visual and auditory aids
• Improve childhood communication with peers and adults
• Instill a sense of pride and confidence in your child

Tiga Talk is rated 4+ and is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch (2nd, 3rd and 4th gen) and iPad. It requires iOS 4.1 or later. Tiga Talk is developed with the financial support of the Bell Fund.

“Being a Fisher-Price Canada Mom Ambassador was an easy fit for me, given Fisher-Price is a brand I have used with my kids for many years,” said Tammi, Fisher-Price Mom Ambassador and mother of three young children from Red Deer, Alberta. “I look forward to sharing the experiences me and my kids have with the products to other moms around the country.”

With Mother’s Day just around the corner, Fisher-Price wants to celebrate moms and their tots with its new Celebrating Milestones contest. Canadian moms and caregivers are invited to register information about themselves and their children on fisherpriceplay.ca for a chance to win a “Celebrating Milestones” prize pack of Fisher-Price toys valued at $200, plus a spa gift card valued at $200 for mom to get pampered for all of her efforts. One prize pack will be given away each month for a total of six months. Winners will be drawn on the last day of each month, starting on May 31 until October 31, 2011. Winners will be contacted directly by email, and may be asked to share a special milestone story at that time.

“As a leader in the toy category, Fisher-Price recognizes what moms want for their babies and toddlers when it comes to playtime and helping them grow and develop through play,” said Riza Javellana, mother of two young children and Manager – Marketing for Fisher-Price. “This year, with the Celebrating Milestones contest, Fisher-Price not only recognizes what moms want for their children when it comes to play, but rewards the special milestone moments moms and their little ones share and discover together that contribute to their child’s overall growth and development.”

To help launch the milestone program across the country, Fisher-Price has developed special PlayCentral kiosks that will be set up during special events and in malls across Canada from March to November 2011 that give mall-goers access to a fun-filled space where children can play with the latest and greatest Fisher-Price toys while moms can receive information on the latest products through catalogues and by using the Fisher-Price touch-screen Toy Selectors.

SkyModo has released free and paid versions of Dog Pile on the iTunes App Store and Android Market. The free version gives a bonus of 50 dog bones for the customization of your dog pack and comes with the Easter Pack that is also available in the full 99 cent version. The paid version of Dog Pile starts gamers off with a 250 dog bone bonus. Players can spend the dog bones in the store, purchasing items with which to dress up your Dog. I have not yet played this game, but it appears to use a combination of tilt physics, pachinko-styled levels and power-ups to match your Dog to the ones in the pile – in a match 3+ kind of way. Dog Pile is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later. I have downloaded the free version of Dog Pile, but it will not load on my 2nd gen iPod touch, so I’ll have to get Scott to try it on his iPhone.

Chicken Balls (99 cents USD) by Endloop Systems has taken to the skies. You play as Crash, the bravest chicken this side of New Mexico. It’s the summer of 1947, you’ve just come back from the war and had hoped to hang up your flight cap for good. When a UFO crash lands just outside the nearby town of Roswell you knew you’d have to take to the skies – one more time. At launch, Chicken Balls features 50 levels of physics puzzles, with more levels in coming updates. The game makes use of an innovative mix of slingshot physics destruction and pachinko/breakout styled play, with the Farmaggedon power-up achieved by collecting all of the eggs on each level. Crash can also harness the power of alien technology to make himself bigger, faster and stronger. Chicken Balls is OpenFeint and GameCentre enabled. Future updates will offer more levels, more power-ups and more unlockable animals. Chicken Balls is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 4.1 or later.

Loud Crow Interactive has a new children’s book out on the market. The studio has released its second Sandra Boynton book, Moo Baa La La La to the iTunes Store. This interactive version of Ms. Boynton’s best selling book “will intrigue and amuse little kids and big people alike, and perhaps even elicit an appreciative snort from the occasional uninvited rhinoceros.”

Moo Baa La La La is narrated by Keith Boynton and includes Country Air, an original instrumental soundtrack composed by Michael Ford. Each of the illustrations, which have been redrawn and recoloured by Ms. Boynton allows young readers to interact with the animals through touch and sound. This young reader app also features “The Big Guy Reads It” with word highlighting to help improve reading skills or the “I want to read it myself” mode which allows children to hear individual words pronounced with the tap of a finger. Moo Baa La La La is $1.99 USD for the iPhone or iPod Touch version while the iPad version is $2.99 USD. Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Requires iOS 3.2 or later.

The debut title from Silicon Sisters Interactive, School 26, is available now for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. School 26 takes a less-trodden path in game play and is aimed at the female tween market, although some older gamers may find this title engaging as well. I do have a copy of the game and will be sharing my thoughts on this new title with you over the weekend.

School 26 follows the efforts of a female student named Kate, who, due to having nomadic parents, is now in her 26th school. Her parents have struck a deal with her, and if she can forge new and lasting friendships with people at the school, they won’t move. School 26 makes use of conversation, mini-games, puzzles and choosing the correct most appropriate emotional responses in advancing players through the game.

The iPad version is $4.99 USD while the iPhone version is $2.99 USD. School 26 requires iOS 3.1.3 or later and does have a content warning with a 12+ age rating for:

• Infrequent/Mild Mature/Suggestive Themes
• Infrequent/Mild Sexual Content or Nudity
• Infrequent/Mild Alcohol, Tobacco, or Drug Use or References

Gamerizon’s newest title is Chop Chop Rocket, a 99 cent (USD) game that features the adventures of lost space explorer Alexis Rocket. This fast-paced one finger tilt and play game features 18 achievements to unlock with GameCentre and OpenFeint leaderboards on which to compete for space supremacy. Chop Chop Rocket is rated 9+ for Infrequent/Mild Cartoon or Fantasy Violence and is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later. This colourful, cartoon-styled game is the 8th title in Gamerizon’s Chop Chop franchise and requires some pretty fast reflexes to use the power-ups, change your speed and navigate through space to make it through the game.

Toon Boom Animation Inc. has release of its initial line up of fun apps for the Apple community, from mobile devices to Mac computers. Each app has several entertaining features, these vary depending on the app and device used. The Mac AppStore now offers Flip Boom Cartoon and Flip Boom Doodle which are available internationally.

On the mobile devices front, Toon Boom has launched Flip Boom Lite for the iPhone and iPod, a free app that lets your fingertips doodle, scribble or draw fun animations. Flip Boom Lite is already available for the iPad and has received rave reviews.

“A natural synergy exists between Apple and Toon Boom Animation, as our award-winning applications are used by the largest animation studios in the world, while Apple products are the most popular devices in the world,” said Joan Vogelesang, President and Chief Executive Officer of Toon Boom Animation. “Toon Boom is an amazing example of the potential that can be unlocked by applications that can run smoothly on any Apple platform.”

Vancouver-based JAH App Development is pleased to announce the release of the fun, interactive Kids Anatomy Puzzle iPhone App is available through iTunes App Store. The Kids Anatomy Puzzle is a series (16 in Total) of body part puzzles with easy tap and swipe controls that lets your child learn the anatomy of his or her body by building each puzzle. Upon completion of each puzzle your child will see and hear the body part they have just completed.

Starting with a basic Boy or Girl head, kids can can choose a part of the face and create a puzzle to complete the face. There are audio and visual rewards upon completion of each puzzle. This game is recommended for kids aged 2 – 10.

SIGGRAPH 2011 Tickets Now Available For Purchase. Early Bird pricing is in effect until June 17th. Member, non-member and student prices are available for all categories: full conference, full conference single day, basic conference, basic conference single day, computer animation festival. Please see the ticket information page for full details on categories and pricing.

SIGGRAPH 2011 in Vancouver – Make It Home

Congratulations to onX Enterprise Solutions, who has received two Cisco Partner Summit regional awards for Canadian Managed Cloud Partner of the Year and Canadian Borderless Network Partner of the Year.

Don’t forget that nominations are open for the 2011 VIATeC Awards. A little saddened that VIATeC is using the current tide of attention being paid to that recently fired TV personality as part of their promotional efforts, but here are the categories open to Vancouver Island technology companies:

• Technology Company of the Year
• Emerging Technology Company of the Year
• Employer of the Year – can only be nominated by staff
• Online Strategy of the Year
• Environmental Excellence
• Executive of the Year
• Employee/Team of the Year
• Innovative Excellence
• Product of the Year
• Member’s Choice for Service Provider of the Year – can only be nominated by a technology company.

The Awards ceremony will take place in Carson Hall at the Victoria Conference Centre on June 2nd. Tickets are $150.00 for VIATeC members and $200.00 for non-members.

Here is the launch trailer for Hothead Games‘ latest entry into the digital download realm. Swarm is scheduled for release on PSN March 22nd (March 30th in Europe) and XBLA worldwide on March 23rd. This is definitely one game I’m looking forward to getting my hands on – I’ve been hoarding most of the MS Points I was given for Christmas just so I can see how many ways there are to squish and dismember these little blue guys.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you will already know that Swarm is an action-platformer that allows you take control of 50 utterly fearless Swarmites and drive them through an intense, entertaining and often suicidal battle of survival. Run, bash, huddle, boost, stack, jump, push and throw your way through gauntlets of death and destruction in an attempt to collect valuable DNA and ensure that at least one Swarmite survives.

Atari has released the second developer diary from its upcoming XBLA, PSN and PC download top-down arcade shooter Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime, which was developed at Behaviour Interactive. Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime is out on XBLA and PC download on March 23rd and will launch on PSN on March 30th (even though the dev diary says it’s available now).

Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime is a four player, ghost-busting adventure that will take players on a brand new paranormal experience. Players will suit up with their proton packs and assume the role of a rookie hired by the Ghostbusters to save New York City from a disaster of ghoulish proportions.

The action-packed gameplay progresses as players complete jobs as fearless rookies who explore a series of haunted environments that must be cleared of any ectoplasmic threats. The gripping adventure rages on as players encounter gigantic bosses that require a concentrated effort to defeat using a medley of highly destructive weapons including the Proton Stream, Plasma Inductor, and the Fermion Shock. Rookie Ghostbusters will face the dangers of the eerie world alone or with a ghostbusting team of friends both locally or online through the game’s multiplayer capability.

Big Blue Bubble’s Burn The Rope is bigger and better than ever with a version for the iPad launching today! Now is the time to join in the flame-lighting fun with bigger graphics, brighter fire, and Wickman as you’ve never seen him before! Burn the Rope HD also features an innovative new touch control scheme exclusive to the iPad that lets players rotate the puzzle onscreen.

Burn the Rope is a casual puzzle title that was originally released on the iPhone in December 2010. The goal of the game is to burn as much rope as possible on each level – which is not as easy as it may sound. The fire only burns upwards, so the player must rotate the rope to keep the flame going – once all the flames are out, it’s game over! With clever, hard to master puzzle designs for each level and some insects that add to the gameplay in unique and interesting ways, Burn the Rope been one of the hottest apps in the App Store for the past several months.

With 116 exciting levels (and more on the way), Burn the Rope is incredibly fun and addictive, and the new features in Burn the Rope HD for iPad let players experience the game in a whole new way

Additional HD Features Include:

• Apple Game Center support with 30 achievements and iTunes library support
• All-new Bug-Blasting Bonus Rounds!
• Lights Out! Mode – light the way as you burn!

BioWare will be releasing Mass Effect: Arrival, the thrilling final mission for Mass Effect 2 on March 29th. This conclusion to Mass Effect 2 and preamble to Mass Effect 3, Arrival will also include three new achievements (or trophies) for the Xbox 360®, PC and PlayStation®3. The PDLC pack will be available for 560 MS Points on Xbox 360, $6.99USD on PlayStation Network and also available for PC for 560 BioWare Points.

In Mass Effect: Arrival, Commander Shepard is sent to the edge of the galaxy to rescue an undercover operative who may have evidence of an imminent Reaper invasion that has been looming since the very beginning of the series. Returning and playing a prominent role in Mass Effect: Arrival is fan favorite Admiral Hackett, who is voiced by legendary science-fiction actor Lance Henriksen (Alien, Terminator).

“All year, we have been extremely honored and humbled by the reception we have received for Mass Effect 2 from players around the world, including our post release DLC”, said Casey Hudson, Executive Producer, Mass Effect series. “Mass Effect: Arrival is an exciting extension to Mass Effect 2 and will show players just how close the Reapers are to returning and completing their deadly harvest.”

Only two weeks after launching, TVO’s new applications for BlackBerry® smartphones for early learners and school aged-kids, have been downloaded from BlackBerry App World™ over 250,000 times.

Flower Frenzy and Polka Dot Shorts support learning objectives from the Ontario school curriculum and are teacher and classroom tested. Both are designed for BlackBerry smartphones running OS 5.0 and higher. Polka Dot Shorts is a sequence matching game for kids aged 2-5 that supports the early-learning and kindergarten math curriculum. Flower Frenzy is an entertaining and educational game with three levels of progressive difficulty that uses pictures of flowers to help kids ages 6-11 learn to create sequences.

Both apps teach kids pre-cursors to patterning skills which help build the foundational knowledge required for mathematics in later years.  Each app also has a safety feature to prevent young users from making phone calls or sending emails.

“We’re really excited that so many kids are embracing TVO’s latest digital media offerings,” says CEO Lisa de Wilde. “There is a real need for digital content that will engage kids in learning that complements what happens in the classroom environment. We’re happy to help fill the gap.”

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) today simplified the process for Canadians who want to change providers for their television, home telephone, wireless or Internet services. Consumers will now be able to switch service providers with only one phone call. Once it has obtained the proper consent, the new provider will make all the arrangements on behalf of consumers to have the services transferred over. The CRTC requires that customer transfers be completed within two business days, except for wireless service where transfers must be completed within 2.5 hours.

“In a competitive marketplace, consumers are always encouraged to explore different options for their broadcasting and telecommunications services,” said Konrad von Finckenstein, Q.C., Chairman of the CRTC. “The new rules will make the transfer process a seamless and convenient experience, while enabling Canadians to benefit from receiving retention offers from their current providers.”

If they prefer, consumers can also cancel their services by contacting their service provider directly, which can make them offers to retain their business. The CRTC reminds consumers that, when switching to a new service provider, they are still responsible for any termination penalties or other terms associated with their existing contract. Additionally, the CRTC has established safeguards to prevent service providers from sharing confidential customer information with their internal sales and marketing groups during the transfer process.

Following today’s decision, the CRTC has also launched a new proceeding seeking views on whether these safeguards are still in the best interests of consumers and whether they limit a consumer’s ability to receive offers from a service provider. Interested parties may submit their comments by April 18, 2011. They may do so by completing the online form, by writing to the Secretary General, CRTC, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0N2, or by fax at 819-994-0218.

Nominations are now open for the Sara Kirke Award for Woman Entrepreneurship, which is presented to the woman who has shown the most outstanding technological innovation and corporate leadership — leadership that has significantly expanded the frontiers of Canada’s advanced technology industry. The purpose of the Award is to celebrate innovation, entrepreneurship and create positive role models for women. The Sara Kirke Award for outstanding woman in technology innovation and corporate leadership for 2010 was awarded to Carol Leaman, CEO of PostRank Inc.

Sara Kirke is considered by many to be North America’s first entrepreneur. She arrived in Newfoundland in 1638 with her husband David Kirke, who was soon recalled to England. Sara, however, continued to reside in Avalon, and conducted business as usual from the Pool Plantation. Lady Kirke was a remarkable individual as she managed affairs at the Pool Plantation and became one of the most successful merchants on the English Shore — and was almost certainly North America’s first and foremost woman entrepreneur.

Submissions for the 2011 Sara Kirke Awards must be received at the CanWIT office by April 15, 2011, and all nominees must be a member of CanWIT, which is itself a Division of CATAAlliance. The 2011 winner will be announced at the 26th Annual Canadian Innovation and Leadership Awards Gala on May 18th, which are being held at the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa.

The BCIC-New Ventures Competition: 2011 is now open for applications until April 18 at midnight, with the first seminar in the new nine seminar series taking place on April 4th. The competition dates and seminar schedule have been officially set and now it’s up to the competitors to invest $200 in their technology business idea and learn how to develop it into a profitable company.

As one of North America’s largest technology business idea competitions, BCIC-New Ventures attracts applicants from a wide range of industries including cleantech, media, Internet, information technology and life sciences. BCIC and the New Ventures BC Society invite BC entrepreneurs to submit their ideas to the 11th annual BCIC-New Ventures Competition offering the chance to win a share of the more than $360,000 in prizes.

Added to the mix of prizes to be won this year are the $15,000 Vancity Social Venture Prize and two prizes for Agricultural technologies, valued at $30,000 and $20,000. The competition has also launched a separate stream for Agritech competitors, with events starting March 30.

The competition is open to any BC person, resident or business with a technology-focused idea that has not yet secured significant financing from external investors (i.e. investors other than friends, family and company founders).

The series of nine business education seminars, open to both the public and competition applicants, will take place in Vancouver at the SFU Beedie School of Business beginning April 4, 2011. Students with valid ID can register to attend these seminars at no cost.

Register today to:

• Learn from some of BC’s top business experts at our business-education seminars
• Network with top professionals in business, law, finance, government and academia
• Improve your business and strategies during each round of competition
• Receive advice and insight from mentors In Round 3
• Present your condensed business plan to a panel of ‘angel’ investors, venture capitalists and industry experts in Round 4

Now in its eleventh year, the main BCIC-New Ventures Competition attracts applicants from a wide range of industries. This year we’re launching a new stream of the competition focused on Agritech ventures in the categories of: primary production, food, and bioenergy/bioproducts (for or from agriculture).

This new program is funded through Growing Forward, a federal/provincial agreement between the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, to support agri-food technology innovation and commercialization.

There will be two specific prizes – a $30,000 first prize and $20,000 second prize for Innovation in Agricultural Technology – plus specific events for Agritech competitors who proceed through the four rounds of the business competition. Applicants who register will also be placed into the larger competition with the chance to compete for more than $300,000 in additional prizes.

AOL Canada is proud to sponsor the Interactive Category of the 2011 National Advertising Awards (NAA) that celebrates and rewards outstanding Canadian advertising creativity, delivering fresh new ideas to Canada’s leading brands. In addition to the recognition they receive with the award, category winners will attend the 58th Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival June 19 to 25, 2011 in France.

“Sponsoring the interactive competition aligns with our commitment to high-value, premium quality and creativity online,” says Graham Moysey, AOL Canada General Manager, “At AOL, it’s all about creating a vastly improved online consumer experience – what better way than to get Canada’s best and brightest creatives engaged?”

AOL is also working with agencies that are submitting entries to consider using AOL’s award-winning HD content delivery platform, Pictela, now available in Canada. Pictela provides agencies with a broad and highly unique canvas for demonstrating their creativity.

In the Interactive Category, participants are challenged with a brief from Biotherm to recruit new users to their BioLab Skin Solutions. All category briefs were made available on March 2 and the deadline for creative submissions is March 31. Winners will be announced at the National Advertising Awards Gala on May 5 in Toronto.

“Participating in the National Advertising Awards Interactive Category is a fantastic opportunity to submit the challenge of taking our BioLab recruitment animation to the next level to the best Canadian creative minds,” said Bradley Smith, Biotherm Marketing Director. “I can’t wait to see how they’ll translate Biotherm’s biological expertise and its strong Canadian heritage into a complete interactive brand experience that will attract new consumers to the brand.”

“The National Advertising Awards are unique because they are North America’s only major brief-based competition,” says Cam Gardner, President, Adcam Media Group, Owner of The National Advertising Awards. “It’s always a thrill to see the results of unleashed creative thinking against the needs of major Canadian brands. We’re grateful for the support of sponsors like AOL Canada who help make the awards possible.”

Congratulations are due to the Ubisoft Montreal Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood team, who picked up the BAFTA in the UK last night for top Action Game and to the Bioware team who garnered the Best Game award for Mass Effect 2.

I keep forgetting to tell you all about the huge Book Drive that’s been going on in BC, so I left the page open to the site to remind myself because I tend to be forgetful. The next big event is this weekend, March 19 & 20th, at the Salvation Army Divisional Headquarters located at 3833 Henning Drive in Burnaby. Drawing directly from the information on the Book Drive site:

“The Big Book Drive is a two-day event aimed to help the less-fortunate and low-income families so that they may gain a better education in the future. Oftentimes after we’ve read a book, we leave it lying around without touching it for years. This is wasteful of Earth’s resources, and it does not have to be so. These books can be used to help others, so make The Big Book Drive your way of giving back to the community. Our goal is to collect as many books as possible. The books will either be sold at used bookstores to generate proceeds, donated to the charities we’re working with, or recycled to be remade into new books. Either way, 100% of the proceeds will be donated, because we want to help others just as much as you do!“

I hope that if you are able to help out, you can. The organization is looking for textbooks, journals, comic books, novels, children’s books, magazines and catalogues. No adult material, newspapers or eBooks on CD/DVD, though.

Students in need of software should check out Microsoft initiative DreamSpark. Verified students can gain access to licensed Microsoft products, including XNA Studio 4, Visual Studio, Expression, Robotics Developer and more. You now have fewer reasons to not get out there and create something. Go, go, go!

Microsoft Canada also offers assistance to small-medium businesses with volume licensing programs designed to save money and get companies creating. It’s worth your time to check out what is available for you.

On Saturday March 19th, let the games begin as YTV WOW! Let it rip with non-stop action and adventure with Hasbro’s Beyblade: Metal Fusion Battle Zone. Beyblade fans can come out to the Real Canadian Superstore at 51 Gerry Fitzgerald Drive in Toronto and battle it out for prizes and gift packs from 10am until 4pm.

Speaking of availability, the Government of Canada has launched its Open Data Pilot Project, which is designed to improve the ability of the public to find, download and use Government of Canada data. You are invited to search the catalogue, download datasets and explore the possibilities of Open Data. This project could go a long way towards helping businesses gain access to research data they may require for such activities as market research or even finding new business partners.

As part of the Government of Canada’s efforts to drive innovation and economic opportunities for all Canadians, the Honourable Stockwell Day, President of the Treasury Board and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway launched the pilot project for an online Open Data Portal following public consultations on the digital economy strategy which saw Canadians asking for open data to be made available in more usable and accessible formats.

“The Government of Canada is launching its Open Data Portal to make a large amount of data accessible through a single window,” said Minister Day. “With this portal, application developers can reuse data for commercial or research purposes to benefit all Canadians in a variety of ways. We want to continue to make Canada one of the best places to do business by ensuring that Canadian entrepreneurs, researchers, academics and voluntary organizations have access to government data in useful formats to help foster innovation, job creation and community services for Canadians.”

This pilot portal will make more than 260,000 datasets from the following ten participating departments available to all Canadians: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada; Citizenship and Immigration Canada; Environment Canada; Department of Finance Canada; Fisheries and Oceans Canada; Library and Archives Canada; Natural Resources Canada; Statistics Canada; Transport Canada and the Treasury Board Secretariat. The pilot phase will take place over a 12-month period, during which the government will continue to increase the number of datasets available to users.

I just found out about this service today, when the company began following me on Twitter, so I haven’t really had a chance to look very deep into the site and get all of the details, but Get George, which is based in Vancouver, looks like it may be a program that is advantageous to smartphone users. Get George is a free download in the iTunes and Android shops, and looks like it could end up saving people some serious money – but as I don’t have a smartphone, and haven’t yet investigated the services offered, please be sure to read the application’s FAQs and service conditions before use.

With the August 23rd release of Deus Ex: Human Revolution drawing nearer every day, Square Enix is looking for a location to open another Canadian studio. Personally I’m rooting for Vancouver, but Toronto and a second Montreal location are also in the running. I imagine that the publisher will be looking closely at incentives offered by each province, and while another studio in Montreal would be convenient for the Eidos Montreal crew, I’m hoping that the proximity of Vancouver to the Square Enix headquarters in Tokyo will give the city an edge in the running. The time line for the new studio looks to be for a 2012 opening, with an initial staff of 100.

Big Blue Bubble’s original, award winning and massively fun rhythm game Thumpies is now available in Apple’s Mac App Store. Now Mac owners can test their skills in correctly matching the beat of bouncing Thumpies, and those with the beat skills can progress through songs and the current 15 game levels, unlocking new Thumpies along the way. Suitable for all ages and already available in the iTunes App store, Thumpies uses a mechanic of bouncing in time instead of just a series of notes. The game features a quirky art design accompanied by a unique musical score composed by award winning industry veteran David Kerr sets Thumpies in a genre all its own.

Hoard™ from Big Sandwich Games will release via Steam for your PC and Mac on April 4^th, and will retail for $9.99USD. Pre-sales will begin on March 21^st with a limited time “fire-sale” discount of 25%.  In addition, sharing with your friends is rewarded, as a 4-pack of HOARD™ can be purchased for the low price of $28.00.  Steam Play is supported, meaning Steam users who own both a PC and a Mac only need buy the game once.

The Steam version includes the same fire-breathing fun as the PS3 console release plus some brand new features.  The game has 4 modes, over 35 levels, leaderboards, full multiplayer suites (4-player co-op and competitive), and 100+ Steam achievements. In addition, never seen-before features such as Night Mode (for vibrant fiery goodness), a Winter tile set, and new maps are added as a reward for PC and Mac fans’ patience.  Finally, cross-play allows PC and Mac users to compete or cooperate in their quests for gold.

zinc Roe’s latest release is now live. Created for the Family Channel, Hot Ticket is a game of musical and economic strategy. Players drag and drop locations onto a map to create “Famburg”, a rocking little town that plays host to shows by a wide variety of fictional acts. “The Temper Tantrums”, “Vagablonde”, and “The Jazz Hands”, are among dozens of hilarious characters created to animate locations like “The Golden Cocoon Mall”, The Hideaway” and “Das Beats Dance Club”. The game features colourful artwork, catchy melodies and an appropriate level of economic complexity for school-aged children. There is a demo version available to try out, and if you like the game, you can register to play the full version. Judging from comments posted on the game’s page, Hot Ticket is on its way to becoming a hit casual title.

D-Box has announced yet another expansion for this week, citing a new agreement with Germany-based FTT (the company’s first European distributor for its commercial theatre expansion) for two new theatres with Netherlands-based Jogchem’s Theatres known in the market as JT Bioscopen. JT Hoogezand and JT Arnhem will each equip its theatres with respectively 20 and 21 D-BOX MFX Seats. With the introduction of D-BOX at these newest locations, Jogchem’s Theatres will have a total of four movie theatres that offer D-BOX’s motion experience. In addition to the sale of these systems, this deal will also generate licensing fees payable to D-BOX in accordance with the systems’ utilization.

Conservatory Canada invites piano students from across Canada to put their compositional skills to the test for the first annual Creative Composer’s Competition. Launched as a partnership between Conservatory Canada, Mayfair Music Publishing and Long & McQuade Music Stores, the contest is a unique opportunity for budding composers of all ages to let their talent shine, says Conservatory Canada national executive director, Victoria Warwick.

“There are many students across Canada who love to compose music in all styles,” says Warwick. “We hope this competition will inspire and encourage them in this creative pursuit.”

Piano students of all ages have until May 31 to submit entries through the Conservatory Canada website. Submissions should be written in a contemporary musical style – Jazz, Country, Latin, and Broadway – as included in Conservatory Canada’s Contemporary Idioms Syllabus for Piano.

All submissions will be reviewed by Conservatory Canada examiners with compositional skills, Warwick says. Winners will be announced at Conservatory Canada’s national convocation ceremony in November, and winning compositions will be included in a new Mayfair Music Publication.

“Composition is a natural part of our Contemporary Idioms program,” notes Warwick. “The Creative Composer’s Competition will allow students to showcase their fine work, and by compiling the best-of-the-best in a new publication, teachers and students across Canada will be able to enjoy them.”

Vancouver’s Slick Entertainment has launched the next iteration of Scrap Metal™, this time to the iTunes App Store. Scrap Metal for iPad, iPad 2, iPhone and iPod Touch, is due for release on March 11th, 2011 for $2.99.

Drift around corners with guns blazing and take out legendary competitors in the fast-paced, top-down racer, Scrap Metal™! Fight your way through four different game modes filled with explosive, action-packed missions, and compete with your friends on the Game Center leaderboards. Amazing graphics combined with a completely new super intuitive input method makes this a game you can’t afford to miss!

We will (hopefully) be taking it iOS version of Scrap Metal for a spin around the track this weekend to see how it translates to the small screen, if updates to Scott’s iPhone go well. The game is not compatible with 2nd generation iPod Touches, so I can’t play it, and Scott can’t risk updating his iPhone during the week, just in case the update doesn’t go well, and we all know that OS updates can sometimes go sideways. Scrap Metal does support the following hardware: all OpenGL ES2 devices: iPad, iPad2, iPhone (3GS and better), iPod 3rd gen. (32Mb or more) and iPod 4th generation. Retina display and Game Center supported.

Scrap Metal is also available on Xbox Live Arcade for 1200 points and is rated E10+ by the ESRB, with Mild Violence, Mild Suggestive Scenes, Alcohol and Tobacco Reference. There is a demo available for the 360, so if you haven’t yet, I recommend trying the game, it’s a load of fun to play.

Nickelodeon and Budge Studios present Dora’s Ballet Adventures, an Application based on the primetime musical special of the same name, premiering Monday, March 14, 8-8:30 p.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon.

Available on iTunes today, Dora’s Ballet Adventures will be available for the iPhone, iPod Touch ($1.99usd) and in HD for the iPad ($3.99usd). This App contains activities specifically designed for preschoolers including: helping Dora dance with simple finger swipes and gestures, matching animals while using the built in microphone to make animal sounds, and playing songs while learning about different musical instruments. In addition, the App also teaches reading and allows preschoolers to follow along with Dora’s voice, read by themselves, or have the story read to them, all while learning Spanish words and phrases.

In the primetime special, “Dora’s Ballet Adventure,” Dora’s dance class is having a big show for all of their friends and family. Dora is opening the show and can’t wait for her family to see her dance! She just needs her dance slippers, but the delivery duck gives her scuba flippers instead. It’s a dance-filled adventure as Dora and Boots play “follow-the-bunny” to make their way through Bunny Hop Hill, dance in the animal hoedown across Benny’s barn and rush to the show aboard the dancing train.

In 2010, Dora the Explorer celebrated its 10th anniversary and remains one of the top preschool shows on television. Dora the Explorer, which can be seen in 151 markets and is translated into 30 languages, has been honored with awards including the Peabody, NAACP, Alma, Imagen, Latino Spirit, Gracie Allen, Parents’ Choice Award, the Television Critics Association Award and has received 16 Daytime Emmy nominations.

Zincroe’s will be launching their latest app, a Stella and Sam adventure, in the iTunes store on March 10th. Into The Snow We Go revolves around a missing toboggan and young readers will have to help Stella and Sam solve a series of quests to find it. The activities featured in this tale include Pictures in the Snow, Snowman and Under the Snow.

Based on the children’s books by Canadian author Marie-Louise Gay, The Stella and Sam Adventures for the iPad are a wonderful way for families with small children to enjoy and experience the same playful world of Stella and her little brother Sam as seen in the animated TV series.

Each adventure takes preschoolers on a quest and features:

* Four original animated story chapters
* Three open-ended, age-appropriate games
* Ten minutes of continuous storytelling
* Game replay
* Quick navigation by chapter and game

Several Canadian titles have been named as finalists for the AIAS Interactive Achievement Awards which will be presented at DICE Las Vegas this coming February 10th. The dev teams from EA Canada will be competing against each other in the Sports Game of the Year category with both FIFA Soccer 11 and NHL 11 receiving nominations. The debut title for United Front Games, ModNation Racers, has been named to the Racing Game of the Year category.

Relic Entertainment’s Dawn of War 2: Chaos Rising has been nominated in the Strategy Game of the Year category, while Ubisoft Montreal action title Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction is competing in the Achievements in Animation category. Bioware has been named to the Outstanding Character Performance category for Mass Effect 2 – Male Shepard, while Mass Effect 2 was given the nod for both the Outstanding Achievement in Story,  Role-Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year and Game of the Year categories.

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood has been nominated for an Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition Award as well as Adventure Game of the Year and Outstanding Achievement in Online Game Play. The Ubisoft Montreal blockbuster will also be going head to head with Bioware’s blockbuster Mass Effect 2 as they compete in the  Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction category. Best of luck to all of our Canadian nominees!

Vancouver Film School graduate Nicholas Yonge has officially launched his indie game development studio krangGAMES, which will initially be focusing on flash games with an eye to expanding its products to other platforms in the future. The studio is currently developing DotGuy vs The Galaxy, which is an action-puzzle game where the player must successfully guide DotGuy out of a damaged spaceship. According to the game’s description, DotGuy vs The Galaxy will feature a campaign mode, unlockable modes of play, multiple playable characters, and user-made content via the Assembly Level Editor. krangGAMES also developed a game named Prior, which was created for the Ludum Dare Competition #19. Prior is a msyterious 2D platformer that was built in Adobe Flash, and in following with the LD19 theme of Discovery, players must navigate through a dark facility in an effort to figure out who they are, what has happened, where they are, and why they are there, developing their story piece by piece.

Hothead Games has brought Swarm creator, Dr. Mike Hayward, out of his dark and windowless office for a few short minutes to explain how players can control their “Swarm” in this first edition of “Ask Dr. Mike.”

Since Dr. Mike tends to speak in programming code without even realizing it, Hothead brought in “man of the people” and “regular guy”, Lead Designer, Pete Low, to bridge the gap and explain to us laypeople the unique and fun way to control your Swarm. Swarm is the upcoming and ultra addictive action game from UTV Ignition and Hothead Games set to release early this year. Dr. Mike did his PhD research in the field of artificial intelligence, and while his research didn’t directly relate to causing the horrific deaths of little cute and pudgy blue creatures, he has harnessed his work to realize that vision in Swarm. In the newly released video, Dr. Mike shows us everything from how to jump, group up, huddle and even stack and bash your Swarmites.

Swarm gives players control of 50 utterly fearless Swarmites and drives them through an intense and often suicidal battle of survival. Swarm is the first game to feature mass character control, where players move all the Swarmites at once. Steer the flock of pudgy, clueless little blue morons through the game and they naturally flock and flow around obstacles. Creatively combine swarm moves to work your way through a relentlessly dangerous and hilariously brutal environment. Compete against friends to get the high score by deftly moving through the world and cleverly solving puzzles the game throws your way. Swarm is rated T for Teen by the ESRB

EA SPORTS™ and Virgin Gaming™ have penned a new agreement which names Virgin Gaming as the official worldwide provider of online tournaments for EA SPORTS. The agreement covers all head-to-head competitive play, pay-to-enter and sponsored tournaments for select EA SPORTS console video games.

As part of the agreement, the Virgin Gaming tournament platform will integrate directly with select EA SPORTS titles offering seamless web functionality and enhanced community tools for competitive gaming across Xbox 360® and PlayStation®3 consoles. The first tournaments will begin early 2011, with details to be announced in the near future.

“EA SPORTS is the leading sports video game brand and publisher in the world, and we are thrilled to offer our members the opportunities to compete in some of their very best multiplayer sports games,” said Rob Segal, CEO of Virgin Gaming. “Virgin Gaming is a unique convergence of competitive gaming, video games and social/community networking, and we are excited that EA SPORTS shares our vision for the platform and its potential.”

“Competitive online gaming is an increasingly popular component of our industry and a great way for EA SPORTS and Virgin Gaming to help connect gamers around the world through the global language of sports,” said Peter Moore, President of EA SPORTS. “Virgin Gaming demonstrates the system-wide integrity we desire, and this is a great opportunity for EA SPORTS fans to experience secure and impeccably managed online tournaments for some of our top titles.”

Wicked Interactive and Mission Against Terror (M.A.T.) today offered a first look at Occupation Mode, the eagerly anticipated update which brings hardcore, capture-the-flag-style competitive action to everyone’s favorite free-to-play shooter.

“Gamers have been extremely curious,” said Sam Ho, Director, Wicked Interactive. “Since there hasn’t been an Old School hardcore competitive title in quite some time, gamers seem like they can’t wait to get their hands on Occupation Mode. We hope that these screenshots hold them over until Occupation Mode goes live, which, we promise, will be very soon.”

What’s New in Occupation Mode:

· New maps
· Territory capture and control – the two essential ingredients of a competitive title
· New team-based action and coordination
· Ability to set time-challenges – game creators determine how long one team has to hold all points on map for the win
· Opportunity to test out recently purchased or unlocked weapons in new, challenging environments

“With Occupation Mode, we offer players a great mix of flexibility and raw competition,” added Ho. “Some players want an experience that is nothing less than a fight to the death, with matches lasting countless rounds until one team finally emerges victorious from the firefight. For others, it’s about light, scrimmage with friends. We are proud to serve both communities of gamers with this latest update to M.A.T.”

Mobile IT management solution provider Rove has announced the rapidly growing adoption of its award-winning solution, Rove Mobile Admin, a secure smartphone- and tablet-enabled IT management solution giving IT staff unprecedented mobile access to incident detection, diagnosis, triage and resolution.

Spurring the surge of interest and uptake has been Rove’s Dashboard, functionality that aggregates alerts, alarms, notifications and tickets from IT monitors and incident management systems, presents them to IT administrators directly on their mobile device’s screen, and makes it possible to drill down quickly into problem details to identify the cause and implement a fix.

“We use Microsoft’s System Center Operations Manager to monitor a wide variety of security and server health issues,” said Jeff Rountree, Global Network Manager for Dover’s Pump Solutions Group (PSG), a world-leading manufacturer of industrial pumps and compressors. “While email alerts for warnings and errors are available to us, setting them up takes a number of steps and our time. With the Rove Mobile Admin Dashboard my team can view alerts directly, without the need for any email escalations. The added value is being able to receive alerts regarding our Exchange and/or Blackberry servers even if they’re offline – as long we have network connectivity we can get the Rove Dashboard alerts and begin taking corrective action.”

“There is a growing awareness within IT organizations that robust, proven mobile solutions are required to effectively manage their networks and infrastructure,” said Russell Ure, President and COO, Rove. “Rove Mobile Admin is increasingly seen as the preferred solution to address these needs.”

If this sounds like your cup of tea and you have an iOS device for the initial roll-out, feel free to here sign up here as Endloop X is taking applications for early access.

Here’s a sneak peak of some of the unique features we are building for Please Stay Calm:

* Innovative co-operative gameplay
* Unique location based exploration that lets you play on-site as well as remotely
* Immersive alternate reality

The team will be rolling out the title city by city, as well as platform by platform. On a side note, Endloop X is looking for a PHP developer to fill a contract position. Know anybody?

Hoping to show that not all robots are purely cold and mechanical, Thandros Media presents “Fun With Thandros,” a playful new iPhone app featuring a fun-loving robot who is sure to thrill little ones and big kids alike. This delightful app features four classic games: Play, Maze Quest, Stories, and Twins.

Jeffrey Pierson, the creator of the characters featured in the app, worked with the programmers at Thandros Media and author Mike Jackson. The team understood that children love digital gaming and grasp it at a faster rate than anyone else, but for their first app wanted to incorporate a classic style and varied gameplay mode that many apps seemed to be lacking – and thus, “Fun With Thandros” was born.

“I first drew Thandros for my nephew,” says Pierson, “and he really liked him, so I started to think about what he would act like, and who some of his friends could be. It was a lot of fun to come up with this world, and I’m looking forward to adding to it in the future.”

The new app introduces kids and their parents to Thandros, a happy, friendly robot who loves to go on adventures and isn’t afraid to undertake a quest or a challenge. Toddlers can enjoy meeting Thandros in the “Play” mode, where they can tap on the robot and see how he reacts. The preschool set and older can choose “Stories,” with their choices throughout the course of the tale affecting its ultimate outcome, or “Twins,” a matching game that reinforces memory skills. Finally, big kids are sure to love “Maze Quest,” which takes Thandros on a journey through simple to complex mazes in his efforts to halt the evil Professor Stouch’s dastardly plans.

With its colorful, hand-drawn graphics, cheerful music, and exciting sound effects, “Fun With Thandros” is sure to provide hours of entertainment for children of all ages, while teaching them important lessons about sharing, hard-work, and determination. Fun With Thandros 1.0 is $0.99 USD and available worldwide exclusively through the iTunes App Store in the Games – Kid’s section.

Ubisoft announced today that the Animus Project Update 2.0 downloadable content (DLC) for Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system is now available on XBOX LIVE® and PlayStation® Network for download for free.

The Animus Project Update 2.0 includes a brand-new game mode and brand new map for Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood Multiplayer. The Pienza Map provides the perfect free-running playground where predators and targets can blend and disappear.

In the new Chest Capture Multiplayer Mode, two teams, comprised of three players each, partner with fellow Templars to either defend or capture Chests. The “Capturers” must use their HUDs to locate and capture the chests, while “Defenders” must use their skills and quick reflexes to track down their foes and protect the chests.

Also included in Animus Project Update 2.0 is the new “Templar Score” feature. To achieve order and maintain competition, Abstergo created the Templar Grade. Updated weekly and based on the users scores of the previous four weeks, the Templar Grade splits recruits in 10 specific slices – each representing part of the hierarchy of the community. The goal is to reward diligent work by Abstergo recruits. Assassins’ Creed Brotherhood is rated M for Mature by the ESRB.

BioWare™ and Electronic Arts Inc. announced today that Mass Effect™ 2 is now available on the PlayStation 3 for $59.99 in North America at retail and on PlayStation® Network*. The PlayStation 3 version of Mass Effect 2, which received a perfect 10 out of 10 score from PlayStation: The Official Magazine, will include six hours of bonus content, including ” Kasumi – Stolen Memories”, “Overlord” and the award-winning “Lair of the Shadow Broker”.

“The PlayStation 3 version of Mass Effect 2 offers gamers a great entry point to the Mass Effect experience,” said Casey Hudson, Executive Producer of the Mass Effect franchise. “We’re extremely excited and proud to now bring PlayStation 3 owners the opportunity to explore the rich and tumultuous universe of Mass Effect and shape the story and events within it by the individual choices they make.”

Mass Effect Genesis, an interactive comic from Dark Horse Comics and BioWare, will also be available today exclusively on the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, giving players a high-level overview of the events of the original Mass Effect. The interactive comic offers players the chance to make critical choices that will affect their storyline in Mass Effect 2 and beyond. Mass Effect Genesis is included in the Cerberus Pack, a downloadable content pack included for first time purchasers of Mass Effect 2 on PlayStation 3. Players who do not have original access to the Cerberus Pack can purchase it for $14.99 on the PlayStation Network. Mass Effect 2 on the PlayStation 3 has a MSRP of $59.99 in North America and is rated M for Mature by the ESRB.

International publisher 505 Games and Ontario developer Reverie World Studios have penned a publishing deal for the studio’s upcoming massively multiplayer online real time strategy (MMORTS) title Dawn of Fantasy. Set in the massively multiplayer fantasy world of

Mythador which supports its own living economic, trading, development and diplomacy systems, players will be given the opportunity to leave their mark on the land’s already war torn history when Dawn of Fantasy for PC is launched on June 3rd, 2011.

Offering a fresh perspective on the fantasy RTS genre, Dawn of Fantasy will deliver a persistent world war experience like none before.Thousands of Players living, building, exploring and fighting together to crush with AI controlled strongholds and empires, in a rich tapestry of story-driven encounters that help to build upon the already weighty single player campaign experience. In a world that continues to trade and evolve even after logging off, Players will also be able to test their armies’ constitution in matched head-to-head, multiplayer encounters on their road to becoming the biggest city-state in Mythador.

Each of the three different races available to players – elves, men and orcs – offer a radically different playing style based on a carefully balanced system of strengths and weaknesses. With an in-game narrative driven by a dramatic historical background, Dawn of Fantasy will combine rich storytelling with compelling gameplay to provide a strategy experience to appeal to MMO and RTS fans alike.

“Dawn of Fantasy is nothing short of the next step in the genre, highlighting the best elements that MMORTS games have to offer with just the right level of considered innovation,” commented Ralph Pitt-Stanley, 505 Games. “In what we feel is an underrepresented genre, we’re confident that Dawn of Fantasy will have what it takes to stay in the hearts of MMO, RTS and fantasy fans for a long time to come.”

“As we catch a glimpse of the finish line after many years of development, we are thrilled to announce our partnership with 505 Games,” said Konstantin Fomenko, Reverie World CEO.“Their dedication, ambition, and extensive history in the strategy genre will prove indispensable as we work toward completing our upcoming MMORTS, Dawn of Fantasy.”

Designed with low system requirements in mind, the Dawn of Fantasy engine will nonetheless render armies of thousands of units and hundreds of terrain objects on screen for epic battle encounters. Once the dust settles on the in game campaigns, players can try exploring their creative side by using the powerful map editor to design the fantasy encounters of their dreams.

Bioware has released information on another region in the Dragon Age 2 world. Sundermount is the highest mountain the range surrounding Kirkwall, and folklore gives the mountain a fearsome reputation. Legend says that Sundermount was the site of a vicious battle where both sides unleashed horrors into the waking world, and unholy creatures prowl the heights to this very day, unaware that the war for which they were summoned is long since over.

bnotions is inviting people to sign up for the beta of their upcoming location-based squad espionage game Urban Ops. According to the game’s blog, bnotions is hoping for a Toronto launch around February 15th, when they hope to add some fun for the users of FourSquare and other location-based services. The premise behind Urb-Ops is to turn your city into a game board complete with teams, upgrades, competitions and prizes. The company also states that they have some cool long term plans built around: real-time, augmented reality, minigames, sponsorships, playing cards, social media integration.

Developers are invited to enter the Content 360 Digital Creativity Festival Competitive Showcase to pitch your newest concepts in audience engagement to the global TV & media industry at MIPTV 2011 in Cannes, France this April 4th – 7th. The competition features four categories and offers your company the unique opportunity to win international recognition, meet new business partners and secure development contracts from prestigious media groups. Entries will be accepted until February 14th 2011

Interactive & Cross-Media Digital Entertainment Formats: FremantleMedia and RTL Group are looking for ideas that are strongly anchored in the digital space and fully adapted to the all-digital, all-connected world of today. Ideas should go beyond a TV experience with an online extension, focusing on multi-platform implementation and transmedia consumption. Submissions can include online apps, mobile apps, social media and gaming concepts.The winner of this category will be awarded €10,000 (approximately $13 000.00 CAD) in funding to further development and jointly exploit the winning idea.

Smart Phone App For Youth Engagement: The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is looking for apps to be developed as a companions or standalone products in relation to the NFB documentaries “Sexy Inc.” and “Staying Real,” which explore sexual stereotypes and hypersexualisation of preteens and teens in media. The winning app should demonstrate that smart phones and rich media tablets can be effective educational tools while being entertaining and engaging through the use of the latest digital technologies. The winner of this category will also receive a €12,000 (approximately $15 000.00 CAD) development contract.

Online & Social Game: Showcase your original social and online gaming ideas with innovative game design and similarly creative business models. Submissions should employ interactive features, social media elements and in-game revenue sources that engage the player community, such as play-along or pay-along content. Ideas can be based on a TV programme, film, toy character, or an original concept with a strong focus on a social, online or mobile experience.

Rich Media Tablet & Social TV Apps: Showcase the latest rich-media applications for smartphones or tablets that create deeper interaction with TV content through dual-screen viewing. These TV Apps can be downloadable on rich media tablets and smart phones or can be accessed online through web browsers. Concepts can be innovative new TV/Web interfaces, ideas and apps that create communities around TV programmes.

Loud Crow Interactive has announced that the studio has partnered with bestselling children’s author and illustrator Sandra Boynton to develop and publish digital interactive versions of Boynton’s popular children’s books. Boynton has written over fifty books including four that reached the New York Times best sellers list, and has sold over 30 million copies worldwide.

The partnership will see Loud Crow develop and publish interactive digital books under a new imprint, Boynton Moo Media. The digital books will be based on Boynton’s titles, which include the popular Moo Baa La La La, The Going To Bed Book, and Barnyard Dance. The book apps will be produced for a variety of devices such as the iPod, iPhone, and iPad. Boynton is also a Grammy-nominated songwriter and record producer, with three gold record albums, and future plans also include musical apps that will feature Boynton’s well-known recordings.

Boynton Moo Media joins the PopOut! line of digital books including PopOut! The Tale of Peter Rabbit which has earned industry awards for design and innovation. “As soon as I saw Loud Crow’s exquisite PopOut! The Tale of Peter Rabbit, I knew I’d at last found the perfect collaborator for bringing my books into the digital realm, says Sandra Boynton. “It’s so exhilarating to work with Loud Crow’s elite team of wildly original developers. Plus they all have very cool Canadian accents.”

“Loud Crow has been seeking partnerships that would build upon the early success of our PopOut! brand of books. We’re extremely thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Sandy and her team to bring her line of popular children’s books to the digital medium. The Boynton Moo Media imprint allows Loud Crow to further diversify its catalog with quality interactive content that will provide a unique and rich reading experience to Sandy’s already wonderful books,” says Calvin Wang, Founder and President.

The first Boynton Moo Media title that will be produced is The Going To Bed Book which Publishers Weekly names as being one of the best selling children’s books of all time. The digital book will feature innovative interactive elements including touch and gesture-based animations, audio, and narration. Like all of Loud Crow’s books, The Going To Bed Book app will offer the educational read-to-me mode and word-repeat-by-touch functionality and will be narrated by British invasion singer, Billy J. Kramer. The Going to Bed Book app is currently scheduled for release in February of 2011.

The Canadian Innovation Exchange (CIX) has announced that Chris Arsenault – Managing Partner at iNovia Capital Inc. – will become the third Co-Chair of Canada’s principal innovation conference. A veteran early-stage investor and technology entrepreneur, Mr. Arsenault will join standing Co-Chairs Rick Nathan and Robert Montgomery in overseeing the organization and execution of CIX.

“We are thrilled to welcome Chris Arsenault to our leadership team,” said Rick Nathan, Managing Director of Kensington Capital Partners Limited. “As an experienced technology investor and proven entrepreneurial success, as well as major figure in the Quebec innovation community, Chris brings an invaluable perspective and a wealth of expertise to CIX.”

“An active Advisory Board member for several years, Chris has already made a profound contribution to the success of CIX,” continued Robert Montgomery, CEO of Achilles Media Ltd. and First Maximilian Associates. “We’re looking forward to seeing Chris take an even more integral role in directing the conference. With his help, I am confident CIX will deliver an even greater value to the innovation community in the years to come.”

Chris Arsenault is Managing Partner at iNovia Capital and has been an early stage investor and entrepreneur for seventeen years. In addition to CIX, Mr. Arsenault currently serves on the Boards of Directors of Airborne Technology Ventures, DFT Microsystems, Fixmo, Plastic Knowledge, Reflex Photonics, and Woozworld. Mr. Arsenault is an active board member of the Canadian Venture Capital Association and of the Silicon Valley-based C100 Organization (the Top Canadians in the Valley).

The FIFA President had the pleasure of welcoming a special guest to the Home of FIFA this week when Nenad Stojkovic, FIFA Interactive World Cup Champion 2010, joined Joseph S. Blatter to celebrate the tournament’s entry into the latest version of the Guinness Book of Records.

The FIFA Interactive World Cup is now officially the largest gaming tournament in the world, with 775,000 competitors taking part in the 2010 edition of the event. This event climaxed in Barcelona in May 2010 when Nenad was crowned champion after defeating all challengers at the Grand Final.

“The FIFA Interactive World Cup is of great importance to FIFA’s portfolio of events” said Mr Blatter, “the tournament gives us the opportunity to engage with a wider target audience through a platform which is of high relevance to the next generations of football fans”.

These words were echoed by the Chief Editor of the Guinness World Records, Gaz Deaves, who congratulated FIFA and its Partners EA SPORTS™ and Sony Playstation, saying “The strength of the FIFA Interactive World Cup is a hugely impressive achievement and its 775,000 participants are a testament not only to the popularity of sports videogames but also to the incredible effort it takes to organise the biggest gaming tournament in the world. We are pleased to award this record to FIFA and look forward to seeing it broken in 2011.”

This year’s edition of the FIFA Interactive World Cup now promises to be larger than ever, breaking its own record for the number of competitors. The tournament has a new format this year, with six online seasons making the event more accessible than ever. FIFA Interactive World Cup Champion Nenad has also committed himself to helping to improve the skills of fellow players all over the world. Every Friday a selection of Nenad’s favourite tips and tricks will be hosted on the FIFA Interactive World Cup section of the FIFA web site.

Pennsylvania-headquartered iPipeline®, a leader in on-demand software that supports marketing, selling, and processing solutions for the nation’s top insurance companies, has acquired the assets of Vancouver-based GaleForce® Solutions. GaleForce is a market leader in providing advanced CRM with client management, productivity, compliance and security tools, and industry-specific integrations to broker-dealers, banks, wealth management advisors, insurance agents, and other financial services professionals. The strategic acquisition establishes iPipeline’s immediate Canadian presence and brings additional key employees with CRM and related experience in financial services. iPipeline currently does business with a significant number of Canadian customers.

“The acquisition of GaleForce supports our strategy to establish a presence in Canada and penetrate the wealth management, banking and broker-dealer markets, while expanding our capabilities in the insurance industry. With diversified customers in Africa, Asia, Canada, Central America, Europe, Oceania, South America, and the US, we have taken the first step in creating a global footprint in the financial services industry,” said Tim Wallace, CEO, iPipeline. “GaleForce provides their target markets with comprehensive CRM solutions designed to enhance advisor and agent productivity, ensure regulatory compliance, and safeguard transactions, delivering a 360-degree view of all business activities with customers. GaleForce’s SaaS-based model and solutions portfolio mesh perfectly with iPipeline’s vision to transform ideas into solutions that revolutionize the financial services industry. The integration of their products with iPipeline’s Velocity platform will enable straight-through processing for Canadian as well as global financial services clients. We are thrilled to have the GaleForce team join the iPipeline family and are excited about expanding our solutions portfolio.”

Originally developed by Bolt Creative for the Apple iPhone™ and iPod® touch, the Facebook version of Pocket God is a brand new way to experience the colorful, death-inducing, all-powerful and hilarious universe of Pocket God, one of the most popular iOS games in history. With all-new socially integrated features, episodic updates and a host of hilarious ways to both dispose of and resurrect the immortal pygmies of each island, the Facebook iteration of Pocket God offers a fresh experience for both fans of the mobile versions as well as those looking for an omnipotent new twist in online social gaming.

Since moving into open beta on December 20, 2010, Pocket God Facebook users have had fun torturing the Pygmies in a variety of wacky ways that have entertained players since the title’s iOS debut:

* 85,000 players have created accounts and have sacrificed over 7.5 million pygmies, more than the entire population of Massachusetts!
* Nearly half (46%) of the Pocket God players are from the US
* Close to 300,000 Facebook friends have been sacrificed & 60,000 of those had their head eaten by a shark

Activision Publishing and Beenox announced today that the Quebec studio has been named the primary developer on upcoming Activision titles featuring Marvel™’s famous web-slinger, Spider-Man™. Beenox’s most recent breakout success was with Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, one of the most highly rated Spider-Man titles to date and Wizard Magazine’s 2010 Game of the Year. Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions has also been nominated for awards at the Canadian Video Game Awards, which will take place in Vancouver this May.

“Beenox’s creative vision reinvigorated the Spider-Man gaming experience among critics and fans in Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions,” said Patrick Kelly, Senior Vice President, Activision Studios. “We can’t wait to see where this talented studio will take this franchise in the future.”

“We are thrilled with this opportunity to continue our close, collaborative relationship with Activision, Marvel and everyone’s friendly, neighborhood hero, Spider-Man,” said Dee Brown, Studio Head, Beenox. “Being able to map out Spider-Man’s interactive future gives us the creative freedom to really craft the best gaming experience for the fans.”

“Beenox has done a tremendous job showcasing the essence of Spider-Man while pushing new creative boundaries with Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions,” said Todd Jefferson, Director of Games, Marvel Entertainment’s Global Digital Media Group. “We look forward to working with Beenox on creating new Spider-Man game experiences.”

Homick Labs preschooler app Noah’s Matching Ark is now available in the iTunes store for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. This free title is fun and educational, and geared towards children age 2 and up. Kids will love matching the tiles of the various themes and earning stickers to be placed in their sticker album. With pleasing graphics and fun music, this interactive application is sure to become a family favorite.

Social media isn’t just a trend taking the world by storm; it’s also the term advertising and marketing executives ranked as the most annoying industry buzzword in a survey by The Creative Group. Also high on the list: “synergy” and “ROI,” which rankled respondents in a similar survey conducted in 2006.

The Canadian study was developed by The Creative Group, a specialized staffing service providing creative, advertising, marketing and web professionals on a project and full-time basis, and conducted by an independent research firm and was based on 250 telephone interviews — approximately 200 with Canadian marketing executives randomly selected from companies with 100 or more employees and 50 with advertising executives randomly selected from agencies with 20 or more employees.  The advertising and marketing executives were asked, “In your opinion, what is the most annoying or overused buzzword in the creative/marketing industry today?”

The top-ranked responses include:

1. “Social media/social networking”
2. “Synergy”
3. “Innovative/innovation”
4. “Extra value/value added”
5. “Going green”
6. “Free”
7. “ROI/return on investment”
8. “Culture change”
9. “Think out of the box”
10. “Interactive”
11. “Proactive”
12. “Social media expert”
13. “Multitasking”
14. “End of the day”
15. “Integrated/Integration”

“Certain buzzwords may be commonly used amongst marketing and advertising professionals, but when overused, they can quickly lose impact and cause people to lose interest and tune out,” said Lara Dodo, regional vice president of The Creative Group in Canada. “In order to ensure your ideas are conveyed effectively, aim to keep your messages simple and direct.”

The Creative Group offers four tips for eliminating jargon in your communications:

1. Translate your thoughts. It’s typical to think in the lingo you use every day. But when putting your ideas to paper or in an e-mail, take the time to explain the concepts in terms that your audience will
easily understand.
2. Edit, edit, edit. Many buzzwords are unnecessary. Think carefully: Does a phrase like “at the end of the day” really add to what you’re trying to say? Probably not.
3. Break bad habits. We all rely on certain phrases when we speak. If the ones you gravitate toward are on the list of annoying buzzwords, think of alternatives that convey the same meaning.
4. Show instead of tell. Rather than relying on buzzwords, use concrete examples to convey your thoughts. For instance, instead of discussing your fully “integrated” marketing strategy for a product rollout,
describe the various elements and how they work together.

Blake Melnick, Chief Knowledge Officer of The KM Group (TKMG), Graham Westwood, CEO of Procarta and Douglas Weidner, Chairman of The International Knowledge Management Institute, have announced the official launch of The Knowledge Management Institute of Canada (KMIC). The Institute will be headquartered in Toronto and will conduct industry level research and provide KM training, learning and professional certification programs, which address sector and Industry challenges related to:

* The aging of the Canadian workforce.
* The pending loss of critical knowledge through attrition.
* Managing knowledge necessary to improve operational effectiveness and efficiency and promote operational excellence.
* Improving organization performance and profitability.
* Creating competitive advantage through continuous improvement and the creation of new knowledge.

“The world has changed. Canada is experiencing a tipping point, where age old structures which previously shaped how we thought about work and learning are being transformed by information, communication technologies and the democratization of knowledge,” said Blake Melnick, KMIC’s Chief Knowledge Officer. “For Canadian companies to continue to prosper, and attract and retain key talent and expertise, they must embrace new ways of thinking, working and learning, which align with the realities of a global knowledge-based economy – this is where we believe the Knowledge Management Institute of Canada will have an exciting and challenging role to play.”

The Knowledge Management Institute of Canada will operate as an independently owned, licensed affiliate of the International Knowledge Management Institute of Washington D.C., working with industry, government, business, education and the not for profit sectors to develop certification, accreditation and professional development programs tailored to meet their evolving operational needs and the training and learning needs of their workforce.

KMIC programs will assist organizations manage change by training knowledge managers how to leverage critical knowledge assets, improve the transfer of explicit and tacit knowledge across the their organizations; capture and transfer critical knowledge and know how from retiring experts to new employees to effectively bridge the knowledge gap which exists between formal classroom training and learning and field experience. With a focus on key industry sectors where pending knowledge loss is most acute and where the acquisition of new knowledge is critical to maintaining a competitive advantage in a rapidly changing global marketplace, the Institute will serve as an incubator for emergent knowledge and information technologies and cultural practices designed to improve sector, industry and organization best practices.

Bioware has introduced another new companion character for Dragon Age 2. Enter Sebastian Vael, an archer of noble birth. Join the Exiled Prince in his quest to seek revenge for the brutal murder of his family and direct his righteous wrath on your enemies. Sebastian is a full companion character, complete with his own series of side missions. Gain the prince’s allegiance as part of The Exiled Prince downloadable pack included in the BioWare Signature Edition, or available separately for $7 or 560 Microsoft Points.

Dragon Age 2 is a stand alone chapter in the Dragon Age franchise, and while it is not a pre-requisite to have played through the previous titles, players can import their Dragon Age files and impact how the story unfolds for them in this new chapter. Dragon Age 2 is rated M for Mature by the ESRB, and is scheduled for release to the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on March 8th.

PsychicParrot Games has released a free iPad app for pre-schoolers. My Own Farm is an interactive educational title, as each tap on the screen generates animal movement accompanied with that animal’s sound, in turn helping young children learn about the sounds farm animals make while keeping them entertained.

PsychicParrot is also the developer of Farm Jump, an Open-Feint enabled iOS mobile game that features tilt and lean controls that enable you to capture some cows and jump on floating sheep, helping Farmer Will get his sheep back in their pens. The game also features donkeys, eggs bacon, plus the ability to dress Farmer Will in a variety of costumes.

Play by leaning the device left and right as Farmer Will bounces from sheep to sheep. Look out for roosters. Roosters will help him get higher with a boost. Cows are also Farmer Will’s friends, so grab them when you can.

Quebec’s Citérémis has released Aztaka Developer’s Edition, with the objective of bringing together the independent developers and the gaming community into our “Quest for profitability.” According to the original game’s description, “Aztaka is an indie throwback to the good old side-scrolling action RPG genre. In this gorgeous hand-painted world, you play Huitzilo, heir of the Sun God, able to wield both the spear and the spell. The watchful Gods have returned to their slumber and the evil Ehecalk becoming ever stronger is plotting. A mad power struggle to hold the seven Ancient Phonograms will ensue. You are the last hope of your people! Race across your once great land, reunite the Phonograms and restore prosperity to the Aztec Empire!”

Aztaka Key Features

* Plunge into a new and fresh universe.
* Manipulate spiritual energy, through an innovative hybrid control scheme to solve puzzles and vanquish foes
* Enhance and customize your character by training skills and abilities, and acquiring ancient artifacts.
* Embark on optional side-quests to acquire valuable items and gold.
* Acquire potions, rings, piercings and skills to aid in your travels.
* Twenty-one unique and detailed levels with grand, richly-detailed backdrops and fluid character animations

Purchasers of this Developers’ Edition will be able to enjoy the latest Aztaka release, the Aztaka OST and the Exotic French Art book, as well as the complete game source code – all for the low introductory price of $9.99, which is 50% off the regular price.

In celebration of the New Year and a “New You,” Ubisoft has released the Your Shape: Fitness Evolved App, which lets users view and manage their Your Shape profile and stats on-the-go, allowing them to quickly and easily track how many calories they’ve burned and monitor progress made towards their fitness or weight loss goals.

The Your Shape: Fitness Evolved App is a free app for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Even if you don’t own the game, discover the breakthrough technology used by Your Shape, check out our videos and meet the game’s fitness experts.

The brand new “Tiga Talk Speech Therapy Games” is now available in the iTunes store at the sale price of $1.99 USD. Developed with licensed speech and language pathologists, Tiga Talk Speech Therapy is a fun way for children to develop speech sounds through playful voice-controlled games. These games are designed to improve and reward speech clarity, articulation, and instill confidence. The app is for parents and speech therapists working with toddlers and children with language delays, and features a host of benefits, building on enhanced language skills to assist children with better communication skills and confidence.

Tiga Talk Speech Therapy Games is a partner property to the APTN children’s show Tiga Talk, which premieres its new season on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) this January 6th, 2011. The premise of Tiga Talk is to entertains kids while teaching both Aboriginal and English language skills during the preschool years – an integral stage in development. By watching the series, children can learn how to make language sounds more easily, and have fun doing it! The addition of an interactive website and an iPhone application by Winnipeg’s Tactica Interactive, will provide even greater learning opportunities, offering games, crafts and videos that give children and their families the chance to explore and learn together

Digital Leisure Inc. has launched Word Searcher II on DSiWare for 500 Nintendo DSi Points. In this follow up to DSiWare hit Word Searcher you’ll need a sharp eye and a quick mind to complete these 100 themed word search puzzles in record time. Building on the success of Word Searcher 1, Word Searcher 2 contains even more fun words from multiple categories including palindromes, pirates and painting. The game is packed with a huge assortment of subjects to choose from, and there’s sure to be a puzzle that anyone will enjoy solving. Help improve your vocabulary, memory and problem-solving skills with these addicting puzzles. Keep track of your progress and try to beat your own play through times again and again as words are scrambled every time you play. Get your thinking cap on and conquer all 100 today!

YearOneLabs is hosting a Google hackathon on January 22, 2011. The hackathon will be hosted at co-working space RPM Montreal, with the event’s goal being the construction of new applications built atop the Google App Engine platform. Google Product Manager Sean Lynch will be attending the hackathon to offer guidance and information.

Tentative Event Schedule:

* 8am: Introductions and a presentation from the Google team
* 9am-5pm: Coding (in teams of two), with breakfast and lunch
* 5pm-7pm: Presentations with judging of the resulting apps
* 7pm-11pm: Party at RPM

There will be a Mobile App Showcase in Ottawa on Sunday, January 24th from 6-8pm at the Mercury Grove World Headquarters. Fill out the presentation application if you’d like to show off your latest app at the Mobile App Showcase.

If you’re on the move with kids today in an OnStar-equipped vehicle and they’re worried about missing Santa, never fear, your OnStar connection will set their minds at ease. OnStar advisors will be prepared to give subscribers specific location-based updates on Santa Claus’ journey around the world based on data received in partnership with NORAD. Individuals without an OnStar subscription can visit NORAD’s Santa Site or dial 877 HI-NORAD (877-446-6723) for Santa’s location (hands-free in BC, please – Santa won’t be looking for you in a ditch).

Beginning at 6 a.m. EST on Christmas Eve, OnStar subscribers can press the blue OnStar button in their vehicles to request a “Santa Update”. OnStar advisors will share Santa’s whereabouts through 5 a.m. EST Christmas morning.

“It’s great to provide our customers with a fun, highly informative benefit during the holidays,” said Scott Kubicki, OnStar, executive director, OnStar Sales, Services and Marketing. “Our advisors also enjoy hearing children’s surprise and joy when they learn that St. Nick is only hours away from their home.”

For more than 54 years NORAD has used its North Warning Radar System, geo-synchronous satellites with infrared sensors and other technologies to monitor Santa’s Christmas Eve travels and share the information with children and families around the world.

“We are excited that OnStar is a NORAD Tracks Santa program sponsor once again this year,” said James Graybeal, deputy chief of staff for communication, Headquarters NORAD and USNORTHCOM. “OnStar adds another layer to the program. In addition to tracking Santa on the web or by calling in to the operations center, it’s neat that you can locate Santa by pushing a button in your car, wherever you are.”

Homick Labs has released Noah’s Matching Ark, a fun and educational application for the iPad and iPhone, geared for children aged 2 and up. Kids will love matching the tiles of the various themes and earning stickers to be placed in their sticker album. According to the app’s information page, there are currently three themes available – matching Animals,  Shapes and Numbers; additional themes are downloadable within the app, and parents can configure the app’s difficulty to match their child’s ability.

This free application is currently available for the iPad only, the iPhone version has a projected release date of January 2011.

For the Mac gamers in your life, check out all of the Gift Guide Specials over at GameTree Mac; they have a door crasher sale on for Kung Fu Panda at 35% off, and other titles such as Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones and Assassin’s Creed II are available for 10% off. There is a good selection of titles for everyone from kids to adults, including Nancy Drew and Disney Princess: Enchanted Journey, with sale prices in effect until January 3rd, 2011.

Give the gift of gaming to Android™ device owners this holiday season! EA Mobile™ offers sale prices on a full selection of games for select Android-based mobile phones – perfect for everyone on your gift giving list.

“Expanding our world-class franchises onto the emerging Android marketplace brings our popular, award-winning games to more phones, more carriers and ultimately, more consumers,” said Adam Sussman, Vice President of Worldwide Publishing for EA Mobile. “This lineup brings fun to everyone – from families playing MONOPOLY to sports fans scoring goals with FIFA 10 – no matter where you are.”

The Sims™ 3, Need for Speed™ Shift, FIFA 10 by EA SPORTS™ and Tetris®, as well as MONOPOLY and THE GAME OF LIFE (under license from Hasbro Inc.) are available on the Android platform. Additional upcoming releases include Worms™ and Bejeweled® 2 from PopCap Games. The games can be downloaded directly to an Android phone by visiting EA’s store on the device or on a PC.

For those of you visiting us from Europe, you can now grab a copy of Digital Leisure’s Mix Superstar for your Wii. For 500 Wii Points, you can create, mix and record your own royalty-free musical masterpieces right on your Wii™ system. There are over 1,000 Dance, Hip Hop and Techno loops included across multiple instruments like Drum, Bass, Synth, Guitar and even voice tracks.

Looking to give your mix a unique flare? Over a dozen new music loop packs will be releasing via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Pay & Play™ to enhance your music creation experience. Thousands of additional loops from packs like Rock, Pop, Latin, House and even World.

Once you’ve got that next hit created, it’s time to show it off. Mix Superstar allows you to export your music creations, and download them to your computer so you can take them on-the-go. You can also use WiiConnect24™ to send those hits to your Wii Friends and even collaborate on mixes. Also included is full support for both the Logitech® USB Microphone and Wii Speak™ so you can lay down your own vocals on that next hit.

Mission Against Terror knows who’s been naughty and who’s been nice, and Toronto publisher Wicked Interactive says “that’s why for all you naughty people out there M.A.T. is bringing you some extra-special holiday cheer. From Saturday, December 25 through Monday, December 27, the action will be non-stop and the stakes never higher. Ladies and gentlemen, we bring you Christmas, M.A.T.-style.”

M.A.T. Special Surprise Xmas Events:

· December the 25th, 2010 @ 4:30-6:30 EST – Login Event -> Snowball Grenade (1 Day), Silver Coins +200%, Christmas Hat (1 Day)
· December the 26th, 2010 @ 4:30-6:30 EST – Silver Coins +200%
· December the 27th, 2010 @ 7:30-9:30 EST – Silver Coins +200%

“These events are a perfect complement to the newly unveiled AI Mode,” said Sam Ho, Director, Wicked Interactive. “Think of them as the ultimate way to test out the AI-controlled robots, the 4 new difficulty settings, the Weapon Casting Machine and all the other goodies that AI mode brings.”

Special prizes will be awarded to those with the highest scores at the end of the weekend. But because Christmas is all about surprises, M.A.T. is keeping those prizes a secret until then.

Poynt Corporation and Yellow Pages Group (YPG) have formed an agreement for YPG to provide Canadian business content to the Poynt mobile local search application for BlackBerry, iPhone, Android and Windows Phone 7 smartphones. The five-year agreement, which includes an annual licensing fee, uses YPG’s public API (YellowAPI) to grant the Poynt app access to the 1.5 million business listings it currently holds. The partnership provides the Poynt app with mobile banner advertising, through Mediative, a recently launched division of YPG which services national accounts.

“YPG has been a tremendous partner as we have evolved and grown,” said Andrew Osis, CEO of Poynt Corp. “We are pleased to continue this relationship as we continue to provide relevant, compelling data to consumers as they go about their daily lives.”

“Our agreement with Poynt emphasizes the opportunities our content can create for local search apps and how YellowAPI can drive additional visibility to our advertisers through partners such as Poynt,” said Stéphane Marceau, Chief Marketing Officer of Yellow Pages Group.

Poynt recently won RIM’s BlackBerry “Super Apps” Developer Challenge and is one of the leading mobile applications for BlackBerry. Poynt is available for download from m.poynt.com or from the respective smartphone app stores.

Marin Media Group, located in Concord, ON, is pleased to announce the launch of a new & free online photography magazine called Photo Zoom, a publication designed to entertain and inform both amateur and professional photographers. It will be providing you with industry news, reviews, trends, articles, interviews, tutorials, galleries, competitions, advice and much, much more. PhotoZoom Magazine will also be attentive to the reader’s thoughts, viewpoints, reviews, suggestions, and, most importantly, featuring their photos.

“Photo Zoom is a magazine dedicated to the art of photography. In every issue we will go over the ins & outs, the tricks & tips and everything else that has to do with photography”, says Scott Howard, Editor.

PhotoZoom will be viewed and reviewed by local photo clubs, Universities and Colleges offering photography courses, various online social media sites, and online directories pertaining to photography related companies. Whether you are an amateur using a simple point and shoot camera or a professional who relies on photography as his main source of income, as long as you love this inspirational art form, you will enjoy PhotoZoom magazine.

Passing along a bulletin from International Trade: the following events to take place in March 2011 in Brazil.  The Canadian Consulate in Sao Paulo will be providing support to any Canadian companies planning to attend. Please contact Fernanda Whitaker, Trade Commissioner for New Media and Cultural Industries at the Canadian Consulate General in Sao Paulo for further information and application forms (or your local in-Canada DFAIT rep may also have the applications available).

Brazil-Canada Coproduction Forum *** March 15-16, 2011 – Rio de Janeiro *** On its 4th edition, this event is designed to allow content producers (digital media/TV/Film) from both countries to understand each other’s business environment, markets and discuss potential opportunities for co-production. The Forum will happen in the margins of the Rio Content Market and will be organized by two local industry associations with full support from the Canadian Consulate. The organizers of the Brazil-Canada Coproduction Forum will invite and pay the expenses for a select group of about 15 Canadian delegates to participate . The deadline for Canadian companies that want to be considered for financial assistance granted by the organizers is January 16th, 2011.

GameWorld 2011 *** March 11-13, 2011 – São Paulo *** Three-day event for the gaming industry, including exhibition and conferences. This event takes place over a weekend and traditionally targets end uses. However, for the 2011 edition, GameWorld organizers will prepare a business forum on Friday, March 11th, with matchmaking activities and one-on-one meetings. The Canadian Consulate in Sao Paulo will work with the event organizers to support any delegates coming from Canada.

Rio Content Market *** March 16-18, 2011 – Rio de Janeiro *** This is a large, Brazilian TV Producers (BTVP) initiative that has gained great support from different levels of the Brazilian Government. Rio Content Market is an international conference and market expected to gather over 500 decision makers to discuss the creation and distribution of digital media and multi-platform content. Guest participants and speakers will be invited from the USA, UK, Canada, Europe and Asia. There will be a large contingence of television/feature film/digital media production, broadcasters, telecom operators, etc.

There are lots of holiday sales from our Canadian developers to take advantage of this season, either as gifts for those who are looking for something new to play:

Frima’s 2D point-and-click adventure game for puzzle lovers, Big Brain Wolf is part of the 5 game Indie Brain Pack available on Steam until January 3rd 2011 for only $4.99 USD. This crime story takes place in a fairy tale kingdom inhabited by a vegetarian, asthmatic wolf, a bipolar Genie, a chubby Red Riding Hood, a long-nosed lawyer, and a slew of hilarious characters. To clear his mother of the murder charges brought upon her, our lupine friend will have to train his brain through 60 puzzles and riddles.

IUGO Mobile has also gotten into the spirit of the season, putting all of their great titles on sale for 99 cents USD each until early January. Now’s the time to grab these IUGO hits:

Toy Bot Diaries 1,2,3, the Toy Bot Compilation, Spy Bot Chronicles and the Toy Bot Mini Missions
Zombie Attack! and Zombie Attack! Second Wave XL
Shaky Summit
Freeballin’
Star Hogs
A.D.D.
Implode! XL
Cliffed XL
ESCAPE: Norm’s World
Daisy Mae’s Alien Buffet

Celsius Games’ new title Red Nova, which has rocketed up the iTunes game chart is still available for its special introductory price of 99 cents USD for both the iPhone and iPad versions. This price won’t last forever, so you’d best grab your spaceship now and make your file screen even more festive because Red Nova is red, which puts you 50% closer to decorating everything you own in Christmas colours.

Speaking of holiday colours, you really should pick up Kung Fu Santa by Big Bad Brush and help save Christmas. This highly colourful and simply fun to play title is also available for the low, low price of 99 cents in the App Store.

EA Mobile’s massive library of iOS titles is also on sale for just 99 cents USD per title – this means some huge discounts on some games, so whether you need some last minute gifts or just want them for yourself, now would be the time to be proactive and scoop them up before the sale ends.

Deathspank really wants to move in to his own little home on your PC’s hard drive this Christmas, can you spare him a little change? This amusingly inept super hero game from Hothead Games is currently on sale on Steam for 50% off its regular price. If you haven’t tried it out yet, you really should – and then you can continue helping the downtrodden in Deathspank: Thongs of Virtue, which is also currently on sale.

Coincidentally, Klei Entertainment’s vigilante platformer Shank is also on sale, available for the low price of $10.04 USD, so if you feel the urge to help Shank deal with his anger issues by slaughtering the underworld’s deadliest assassins, you should take advantage of this holiday sale.

Feel the need to eradicate zombies? Good news for you! Dead Rising 2 for the PC from Blue Castle Games (or Capcom Studios Vancouver, if you prefer) is also on sale at Steam for 50% off the published price. Head to Fortune City and try your luck – don’t forget your Zombrex!

If you’ve been living off-planet this year and haven’t yet gotten Bioware’s Mass Effect 2 for your PC, you’re in luck – Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, and Mass Effect 2 Digital Deluxe Edition are all on sale at Steam as well. Not to be outdone by its studio mate, Dragon Age and all of its ilk are also on sale in the Steam store.

Loud Crow Interactive is giving away promo codes for their interactive iPad books The Tale of Peter Rabbit and The Night Before Christmas. Head on over to their Facebook page for details on how to grab a code while they’re still available.

If you’re looking for other great holiday treats to share with youngsters, may I suggest Dora’s Christmas Carol from Budge Studios. It’s not on sale, but you can get it for your iPhone for $2.99 USD or your iPad for $4.99 USD. Guaranteed to be a hit with any Dora fans living in your house.

I could probably spend all day looking for Canadian-made games on sale, but I do have to go to work. I also apparently have to go Christmas shopping, because my daughter is horrified that I haven’t done so yet. A few other great deals currently lurking around on Steam are all of the Company of Heroes and Dawn of War II titles from THQ and Relic Entertainment, plus there’s 150+ indie titles also on sale. If you see a Canadian title on sale somewhere, send me a message on Twitter, and if I have time I will try to get another posting of sale prices and links done before Christmas.

Toronto game publisher Wicked Interactive has launched AI Mode, the newest and most challenging level that brings robots and other surprises to the free-to-play shooter Mission Against Terror.

“This is our holiday gift to the massive and awesome M.A.T. community,” said Sam Ho, Director, Wicked Interactive. “They have been so supportive since the early days of Closed Beta, we felt this update is the least we could do.”

What’s New in AI Mode:

· 8 players vs. slew of AI-controlled robots in a war for survival
· 2 new stages (of four) available now
· 4 new difficulty settings
· 4 new scenarios
· Weapon Reward System for completing stages at current difficulty levels
· Weapon Casting Machine, allowing gamers to create weapons from the parts of destroyed robots
· The chance to do battle with the Robot Captain

The National Post has launched its free National Post Reader App, available now on the App Store for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. Simple and sophisticated, the National Post Reader App provides a customizable news feed that brings users straight to the day’s breaking news as well as the latest opinion pieces from Canada’s favourite writers and commentators. As with all National Post products, the app features coverage from across the country and around the world, delivered with a distinctly Canadian voice.

“Our readers like to stay up to date on important news, analysis and commentary wherever they are,” said National Post Publisher Douglas Kelly. “The National Post Reader App delivers this to them in a very personal and convenient way on iPad, iPhone or iPod touch.”

Features of the National Post Reader App include:

* Delivery of Top Story content as soon as news breaks
* Quick and easy navigation tools
* The ability to save stories to read later, including when offline
* Social media sharing via Facebook, Twitter, Instapaper, email, and more

Pinewood Toronto Studios, Canada’s largest purpose-built film and TV studio complex, will use a $34.5-million financing arrangement to secure the studio’s long-term growth and enhance the City of Toronto’s ability to attract big-budget films and TV projects, as well as help strengthen Toronto’s role as one of the world’s great production centres.

This investment in vital, long-term Ontario film and television infrastructure will support Pinewood Toronto Studios, Ontario’s premier studio complex, in attracting large-scale production work that would not otherwise be drawn to Toronto.

Pinewood Toronto Studios Chairman Paul Bronfman says, “Toronto is one of a handful of truly exceptional production capitals. This repayable loan will benefit every Ontarian, as well as the film and TV industry throughout the city and province. The ripple effect to the broader Ontario economy will be enormous.”

The financing will permit improvements to Pinewood Toronto Studios facilities, strengthening and propelling its ability to attract bigger and more specialized film and television projects. Among the films and TV series shot at Pinewood Toronto Studios over the last two years are: Battle of the Blades, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, The Thing, Devil, Dream House and Chloe. The loan, provided by Infrastructure Ontario and facilitated by Build Toronto, was secured by the Pinewood Toronto Studios Board of Directors and received unanimous approval earlier this month.

“The TELETOON At Night Pilot Project was a unique initiative by TELETOON to tap into the rich store of talent within the Canadian animation industry,” said Alan Gregg, Director, Original Content, TELETOON Canada inc. “TELETOON received some great projects through this initiative and we’re thrilled to be able to take the Fugget About It pilot and develop it into a series with the humour and broad appeal we look for in our comedy programming.”

Originally launched in fall 2007, ten projects, including Fugget About It, were selected as finalists from over 200 submissions. TELETOON invested $1.5 million dollars into creating the pilots which straddle a wide range of topics, animation styles and comedy sensibilities. The TELETOON at Night pilots premiered online and have been featured on-air since September 2010 as part of TELETOON at Night’s popular Sunday night hosted block “Fred at Night.”

“The TELETOON at Night Pilot Project afforded us an incredible opportunity to get the Fugget About It pilot made and we couldn’t be more excited to see it go to series,” said Vince Commisso, President and CEO, 9 Story Entertainment. “We have a stellar creative team led by show runner Jeff Abugov (Two and a Half Men, Roseanne, Cheers) and TELETOON is the perfect home for this production.”

Popular preschool series Tiga Talk! will ring in the New Year with the premiere of a new season on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) on January 6, 2011, a brand new interactive website, and an iPhone application. Tiga Talk! entertains kids while teaching both Aboriginal and English language skills during the preschool years – an integral stage in development. By watching the series, children can learn how to make language sounds more easily, and have fun doing it! The addition of an interactive website and an iPhone application by Winnipeg’s Tactica Interactive, will provide even greater learning opportunities, offering games, crafts and videos that give children and their families the chance to explore and learn together.

With Aboriginal languages being lost across Canada, Tiga Talk! was created to help teach language skills to preschoolers, while building confidence and instilling imagination in young minds. Targeted at all children (Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal) aged 3-6, Tiga Talk! is a gentle, entertaining series that has fun exploring languages and culture. It combines live action with a magic puppet world, and features music and imaginary play.

Tiga Talk! is centered around three stuffed toys – Tiga the wolf cub, Gertie the gopher, and Gavin the goose – who live with human friends Jodie and Jason, their father, and Kokum (“grandmother” in Cree). Jodie and Jason have a secret. When there aren’t any adults around, their stuffed toys come alive as talking puppets. Through their interactions and adventures, the puppets and kids learn about traditional practices and languages of various Aboriginal cultures in imaginative ways.

Tiga Talk! not only captivates and entertains its preschool audience, but also creates an ear for Aboriginal language, and encourages an excitement for learning about traditions and culture during those very important early years.

Season 3 of Tiga Talk! builds upon the strengths of the first two seasons, with exciting new additions that previous viewers will be pleased to discover, and first-time audiences will enjoy:

New Family – Season 3 welcomes Jason and Jodie’s dad, a character not seen in the first two seasons. Dad takes the kids on various field trips, from visiting a music recording studio, to a petting zoo, to the museum.

New Friends – In addition to the puppets from Season 1 and 2, Jason and Jodie now have four new friends to play with: Jack, Alice, Kyle and Tessa. These friends come over to visit, play games, and do various activities in the backyard.

New Sets – The majority of the show used to take place in Jodie and Jason’s bedroom at Kokum’s place, and at Tiga and Gertie’s indoor dens. In Season 3, the bedroom has been replaced with a larger set in Kokum’s backyard that includes a pond for Gavin, an underground tunnel for Gertie, and an outdoor den for Tiga.

New Segments – Two new segments are being introduced in Season 3: ‘Get Moving’, a segment that allows viewers to follow along to exercises with a song performed by the puppets; and ‘Things We Love to Do’, which shows kids doing different kinds of fun activities that fit with the theme of each episode.

Tiga Talk! was produced with the participation of the Province of British Columbia Film Incentive BC, the Government of Canada – Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit Program, the Bell New Media Fund and produced and developed in Association with Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) and the Canada Media Fund.

Scott’s interest at the Annex Pro event was tweaked both by the keynote delivered by Technicolor Creative Services’ Tom Burns and by the offerings from Atempo, Aspera, Blue Arc, G-Tech, AJA and HP because he likes to geek out over the technical side of things, which are completely out of my realm. As long as our networks connect and the computers and server are working, I’m happy – although I do want the fancy computers & screens they have on CSI and Bones, just because they look cool.

I have always liked the software tools developed by Autodesk, who was also present at the expo, but as I can’t draw and haven’t even mastered Bryce 5, Maya and Max are far beyond my capabilities – I have a healthy respect for anyone who creates product with that software. Craft Animations was also displaying their wares, and I actually have one of their products, which I won at a previous Annex Pro event. Not a clue what to do with that, either. Perhaps we should come up with a contest and offer it as a prize; I’m sure there are some indie devs out there who would benefit greatly from having it.

Transgaming Studios has released the pre-game cinematic for their upcoming title Garage Inc on the game’s Facebook page. The cinematic introduces the player to the characters and sets the mood for this 1920′s Prohibition-era game. Watch as lead character Angelo talks with his cousin Sal during a family Christmas gathering about the garage he dreams of opening.

There are two new indie titles available today – Xona Games is burning up the dev pipe, releasing their second new title this week. Score Rush has passed Peer Review and is now out on Xbox Live Indie Games for 80 MS Points. Built on the Duality ZF engine, this 4-player shoot ’em up features overwhelming firepower, trailing options, full screen bombs, tons of enemies, an intimidating final boss and hundreds of crazy bullet patterns to survive. The 60 fps adrenaline-rush experience is complemented by a hard-rocking Dragon Music soundtrack.

Also out today is RatRod Studio’s Drift Mania Canadian Championship is now available in the Android Marketplace for 99 cents. Previously released in the iTunes App Store, Android users can now get in on the racing action. Drift Mania Canadian Championships features Online Global Leaderboards with live events, variable throttle system and hydraulic handbrake with adjustable steering sensitivity, 7 uniquely spec’d vehicles, 5 different tracks, 2 acceleration modes and 3 levels of difficulty with 3 camera configurations. If you want to relive the moment, there is a highlights replay system, and you can also listen to either the included soundtrack or your own music as you tear up the track.

A post made earlier today by Frima Studios‘ Executive Producer Martin Brouard on the official PlayStation blog announced that there will be a new title released by the studio on December 21st. A Space Shooter for Two Bucks will be available for free to all PlayStation Plus subscribers, and $1.99 for everyone else. According to the blog, A Space Shooter is of the classic arcade space shooting genre (in case you couldn’t guess that from the title), and “swarms of enemies filling the screens with hazardous bullets and missiles, heaps of upgrades for your ship and its arsenal, high-paced and constant action requiring deft reflexes, and hordes of alien baddies just waiting to be blown up by your superior space-faring skills.” Plus, to add to your gaming experience, there will be a myriad of interesting characters to encounter and in some cases control.

Kitchener-Waterloo developer Footloose Games has announced that they will be releasing a beta version of their Munchies’ Lunch title on December 27th. Munchies’ Lunch is a fun adventure-puzzle PC-based game for the whole family. Simply download the game from the Footloose website to embark on an epic journey with the Munchie family as they say goodbye to their homeland and travel the world to find a peaceful place where they can settle down. Mr. & Mrs. Munchie will travel along with their children through far-away jungles, over steep mountains, and across the hot deserts in their journey. Along the way they’ll meet the ravenous Hungries, crafty bird-snakes and perhaps even a tribal tiki or two.

Vancouver developer LoudCrow has released its latest iPad book. Available now, this pop-out version of The Night Before Christmas joins LoudCrow’s previous title, Pop-out Tales of Peter Rabbit in the iTunes store. In this new release, you can see William Denslow’s masterful illustrations brought to life with innovative pull-tabs, spin-wheels, and elements that bounce and spring with the touch a finger. Listen to “O Christmas Tree” beautifully performed on piano while you read and interact with each page of the book. Explore every scene and discover the many delightful life-like interactions at your fingertips.

Bioware has released the first in a series of “Making of” videos for Dragon Age 2. Here is Part One:

Kobo has launched Reading Life, an industry first social eReading experience. Readers can now track their personal reading history, check-in with characters and places inside books and earn achievements and awards for simply reading. Readers can also choose to share books, favourite passages, awards and more with their friends on Facebook. Kobo Reading Life is initially available on iPad, as a part of the latest iPad update in the iTunes store now.

Kobo Reading Life for iPad provides an unparalleled experience that enables users to engage in eReading in new ways, connect with friends, and earn awards just for reading:

Sharing Books and Passages: Users can tell their friends what they are reading or highlight favourite passages in books they are reading. This is a great way to get a book club started, or update your bookclub friends as you read.

Statistics: Users can track their reading life with interesting statistics, including how many books they’ve read, pages turned, how fast they read, and times of day they read. Statistics help users track their progress, earn awards, as well as discover and learn about their own reading styles and preferences.

Activity: An activity panel shows the timeline of a user’s reading life, highlighting important events and milestones. Users have an at-a-glance view of their reading life, including new books opened, read and finished, passages shared, awards earned and more.

Check-Ins: Another ground-breaking feature called Check-Ins, enables readers to check-in with characters and locations inside books, enabling them to mark important milestones and win awards. For example, readers reading Alice in Wonderland can check in with or meet Alice for the first time, or check-in to the Rabbit Hole and tell their friends on Facebook.

Awards and Rewards: Readers can unlock fun and surprising awards that celebrate achievements in their reading life. Awards like ‘The Papillion’ which is earned by the power social sharers, ‘The Twain’ earned by those that read daily, and ‘The Witching Hour’ for readers who read into the wee hours of the night – once an achievement has been earned the reader can than publish and share with friends on Facebook. Award winners can also be rewarded with special offers from Kobo or its partners, just by reading!

Personal Book Cover: As your personal Reading Life evolves Kobo creates and automatically updates your own personal book cover – a mosaic of your reading life that you can easily share with your friends on Facebook.

The GameTree TV Platform is the premier on-demand video game solution for consumers, optimized for the next generation of set-top boxes and connected consumer electronic (CE) devices. GameTree TV delivers to consumers an ever-growing catalog of video games that can be transacted through a variety of flexible pricing models. The Platform provides operators with an interactive gaming solution that will enhance their current entertainment portfolio and generate new and sustainable revenue streams by catering to the broad family demographic represented in their subscription base.

“The Amino Freedom platform is an exceptional next generation device that delivers a wealth of media and entertainment options to consumers”, commented Vikas Gupta, CEO & President of TransGaming. “The addition of GameTree TV enriches the Freedom media center even further and allows consumers to enjoy all forms of entertainment, linear and interactive, through a singular experience. This collaboration allows both Amino and TransGaming to access a broader consumer marketplace and deliver an even more compelling value proposition to operators and consumers globally”.

The GameTree TV Platform supports the MeeGo™ operating system, a collaboration between Intel® and Nokia®, that is quickly becoming the operating system of choice for a range of next generation devices, including media centers, set-top boxes, net-books, tablets, or smart phones. GameTree TV is being optimized to support MeeGo and a variety of embedded Linux platforms, making it a highly versatile gaming solution for a range of consumer electronic devices.

“We are delighted to work with TransGaming to bring their GameTree TV Platform to the Amino Freedom”, stated Andrew Burke, CEO of Amino Communications. “GameTree TV will bring a rich entertainment experience to the Freedom media centre, by offering consumers a high quality gaming platform, and providing our business partners with a great new revenue stream that also aids in reducing churn within their retail operations.”

TransGaming and Amino Communications are both members of the Intel® Consumer Electronics Network (CEN), a community of hardware, software and services providers that accelerates the development and time-to-market of Internet-connected CE devices.

Budge Studios invites you to experience Dora’s Christmas Carol Adventure like you never have before! This interactive episode brings the experience of reading, watching and playing together in one fun-filled App. Join Dora as she helps Swiper get on Santa’s nice list and as they travel through time to learn the true spirit of Christmas. The app features activities, animation, songs, and is narrated by Dora herself!

*Play several interactive activities and mini-games designed for preschoolers
*Supports reading and listening comprehension and Spanish vocabulary
*Teaches wonderful lessons on sharing and the spirit of Christmas
*Features a special Christmas song sung by Dora that users can interact with
*Preschoolers can listen to Dora’s narration of the story or turn narration off and read together with their parents.
*The iPad version features stunning HD graphics

Dora’s Christmas Carol Adventure is available now in the iTunes App store with a special launch price of $1.99 USD.

Developers interested in Microsoft’s Windows Azure platform should register for (and attend) AzureFest, which is taking place at Microsoft Canada’s Mississauga campus on December 11th. Presented in Open House format, there are two sessions, one at 9:00a.m. and the other at 1:00p.m. The event is free and includes refreshments.

By attending AzureFest, you can learn how developing and deploying Azure Applications is fast and easy. You will learn how to set up your Azure account and how to take a traditional ASP.NET application and convert it for Azure. Publishing Applications to the Azure Developer Portal is a breeze. You’ll learn how to set up the Azure SDK and Azure Tools for Visual Studio right on your laptop.

Congratulations to the six companies named to nextMEDIA’s 2010 Hot Digital List as the hottest emerging online properties, the most innovative new apps, games and tech solutions, and the freshest ideas from online content creators:

Hot Online Property

• TrendHunter.com
• Gogo’s Crazy Bones, Giant Step

Hot Technology

• Healthseeker developed by Ayogo
• Filemobile

Hot Video Content

• Moderation Town from Stitch Media
• Le Gourmet TV from heavyGFILMS

Mobile video optimization and delivery solutions developer Vantrix has been awarded the 2010 Frost & Sullivan Mobile Video Optimization Solution of the Year Award for Vantrix Bandwidth Optimizer. Vantrix was selected as this year’s recipient for its solution’s unique approach to improving mobile operators’ economics, while preserving the end-user experience.

“It is an honor to be recognized, for the second year in a row, by Frost & Sullivan. This award further validates our leadership in mobile video optimization for mobile operators,” said Patrick Lopez, Chief Marketing Officer of Vantrix. “As mobile video continues to take a dominant place in our daily lives, mobile networks are challenged to handle the increasing demand. Vantrix Bandwidth Optimizer alleviates this strain and maximizes the mobile operators’ network capacity by making on-the-fly adjustments to the way videos are delivered to end-users. This solution not only stops the ‘waste’ incurred by operators in delivering Internet videos to smartphones, tablets and laptops, but also effectively doubles the capacity of existing network infrastructure, while reducing the OPEX and CAPEX necessary to increase the networks capacity.”

Thanks to iPads, iPhones and Android, people are watching mobile video more than ever before. In fact, it is predicted that by 2015, video will represent more than 70 percent of all mobile traffic. As mobile video becomes ubiquitous, mobile networks are challenged to handle the increasing demand. Vantrix Bandwidth Optimizer optimizes all video content and delivers it in real-time to the recipient, while maintaining the best quality of experience. To highlight the benefit of bandwidth optimization, Vantrix has created an interactive tool called the Vantrix Bandwidth Savings Calculator. This tool enables mobile carriers to calculate the savings they can experience by implementing Vantrix Bandwidth Optimizer in their network.

The first of several iPhone and iPad apps to be released through the partnership is Dora’s Christmas Carol Adventure, which is based on the TV special. The app will feature a fun holiday-themed story, original songs, and interactive mini-games. It will also teach Spanish, colors, reading and the value of sharing. Both the iPhone and iPad versions of the app are scheduled to launch on December 1, 2010.

“Both Nickelodeon and Budge Studios are dedicated to creating family-friendly products that encourage imagination and education in children, so this partnership was a perfect match,” says Noemie Dupuy, a Partner at Budge Studios. “The captivating personalities of Nickelodeon’s beloved characters, give Budge Studios the inspiration to create highly innovative and entertaining mobile applications that will appeal to a large, diverse range of consumers.”

“This collaboration with Budge Studios is part of our ongoing mission to provide kids and families with entertainment using the most current technology and platforms,” said Steve Youngwood, Executive Vice President for Digital, Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids & Family Group. “Kids are embracing the iPhone and iPad as much as their parents and these new apps will allow them to interact with their favorite Nick characters on portable devices they can take almost anywhere.”

Budge Studios also developed MegaBloks Playground, which I have tried out on my iTouch. Being an adult with no toddlers handy to give this game some hands-on experience, I found it very difficult to view this title as a toddler would. MegaBloks Playground is not a game, per se, as there are no points, timers or achievements. It is an app to amuse young children, a purpose for which I think it would be successful.

MegaBloks Playground features a choice between two characters, a boy and a girl. Your toddler can make their character move around the playground by swiping their finger across the screen, leaving footprints in the sand as their character walks from feature to the next. One drawback to the iTouch version of the game is that the entire playground is not readily visible, which I think detracts a bit from the experience. Obviously this would probably not be an issue with the iPad version (I don’t own an iPad, so I can’t confirm this for certain). The game’s objects are all cleanly drawn and brightly coloured, with the animations running smoothly, which would appeal to toddlers and keep their attention on the game.

The music and sound effects which accompany the game are in no way jarring or irritating, which makes the music especially quite pleasant to listen to. The playground itself is populated with items one would expect to find in a real playground, which means the majority of toddlers would know that by tapping on the slide, swings and teeter-totter would allow their character to interact with them and listen to the unique sound effects assigned to each activity. Characters can also go for a short balloon ride across the playground.

Scattered around the playground are small piles of blocks, which the characters use to build items like airplanes. One drawback, however, is that once the item is assembled, there is no way to interact with it, and it eventually disappears from the screen. I would like to see a few more activities built into the app, which would make it a little more educational, such as perhaps finding a way to build in shape recognition or colour-matching, along with a way for players to make their own creations to interact with. Overall, though, I think this is a well-designed app that will do what it’s intended t0 do – stimulate and amuse sensory perception in toddlers, and I would give it a rating of 4/5.

Glacier Games has also released a new trailer for its upcoming iOS title Them, a game that takes you back to the Cold War era, where you play as Albert, a former employee of the ruthlessly terrifying and mysterious agency known only as Them. Through strategic play and your ability to stay alive, you will unlock new weapons, power-ups and more. Them will be released first for the iPhone and iTouch, with an iPad version to follow.

THQ and Relic Entertainment have also released a new trailer today, this one for the upcoming March 2011 Warhammer 40K Dawn of War II expansion Retribution. Today’s release introduces the Tyranid race, a combative, hive-like alien society that was not present in Dawn of War I, although they have been a part of the Warhammer 40K universe since the first edition of the Rogue Warrior source/rule book.

Big Stack Studios, a Ph03nix New Media company, is releasing their first educational app for iPod, iPhone, and iPad. The “Piano Pals” app fuses colorful animated characters and music with learning and skill-building drills that will keep any child engaged for hours. This is the app that allows you to spend some quality (learning) time with your child!

Piano Pals was developed by parents, for parents. Much too often we download apps that keep ‘us’ occupied for multiple hours per day, yet we never include any educational apps that could assist in mixing quality time with our kids, along with learning and play time. Piano Pals does just that! With multiple modes to choose from, this app can help improve your child’s motor skills while engaging him/her in fun learning activities. There are many modes to choose from, including:

Animal Mode: In animal mode, pressing the keys on the keyboard causes an animal in the scene to animate and make noise. Young children begin to associate a colored key with a certain animal. The names of the animals appear on the keyboard to help older children learn word association as well.

Music Mode: Music mode simply turns the keyboard into a multi-touch Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti, Do piano.

Color Mode: In color mode, pressing the keys on the keyboard causes the correlating color to wipe across the screen as a pleasant female voice speaks the color.

Number Mode: In number mode, each of the keys on the keyboard have a number of dots on them. When your child presses the key with five dots on it, the number 5 wipes across the screen as a pleasant female voice speaks the number.

Piano Pals initially comes with the ‘Farm Theme’ which includes a Horse, Cat, Duck, Rooster, Sheep, Pig, Cow and Dog. For an expanded experience with many more animals, users can purchase additional theme packs including The Safari, The Forest, The Arctic and The Jungle.

“What better way to celebrate 25 years of Mega Bloks, then by taking the founding construction toy to a whole new level for today’s preschoolers with our first-ever iPhone/iPad app,” said Jean Gauvin, Content & Creative Director at MEGA Brands. “With the help of Budge Studios, we are thrilled to bring the Mega Bloks® world to life for preschoolers, ages two to five, in an interactive digital platform with ‘Mega Bloks Playground’, a new creative and innovative way to build and play with Mega Bloks®, while developing fine motor skills.”

“It is not unusual for a parent to hand their iPhone or iPad to their child and allow them to play with it”, said Michael Elman Partner and Creative Director at Budge Studios “But not all of these applications are suited for toddlers and preschoolers. With the ‘Mega Bloks Playground’ application, our goal is to create something for children that engages their imagination and creativity. It is not a ‘video game’ by any means, that gives you set goals and sets you up to ‘win’ or ‘lose’. ‘Mega Bloks Playground’ is first and foremost a toy – which puts the control and the adventure back in the mind of the child using it. The goal is pure, engaging, and safe playtime.”

‘Mega Bloks Playground’ is available now on the Apple iPhone and iPad platform. The preschool interactive world includes two playable Mega Bloks® buddies, a boy and a girl, who interact with a full set of in-world elements, such as swing sets, slides, teeter-totters, playful animals, a lake with a sailboat, and even a hot air balloon. It’s the ultimate digital playset for preschoolers! Parents will appreciate how the app’s intuitive touch-play controls are designed to help foster fine motor skills in children two to five years old, while children will certainly be delighted in discovering piles of colorful bloks throughout the playground that will ultimately piece together to form new Mega Bloks creations.

Mega Bloks Playground At-A-Glance

- Discover over 15 active touch points with your two Mega Bloks® buddies.
– Drag or tap the Mega Bloks® buddies with your finger on the iPad/iPhone screen and watch them play in the playground.
– Explore an interactive playground featuring a hot air balloon, sailboat, pond, swing set, teeter-totter, slide and lots more.
– Collect piles of Mega Bloks® and build a variety of Mega Bloks® structures.
– Easy-to-use interface even for the tiniest of fingers
– Superior touch-play with rich graphics, vibrant sounds, and cheerful music.
– Open-ended, unlimited play; it’s always playtime at the ‘Mega Bloks Playground’

Both iPad and iPhone versions is available as of today. Mega Bloks Playground is $1.99 (iPhone) and $3.99 (iPad) and available worldwide exclusively through the Apple App Store in the Game – kids section. Starting on the day of the launch, the app will be 50% off for the first 48 hours.

Reflecting that there is no one common experience in coping with a cancer diagnosis, the people interviewed for The Truth of It range in age from 20 to 73 and have been diagnosed with different types of cancer including breast, colorectal, lung, testicular, and ovarian. Viewers can choose to watch individual stories or compilations of multiple interview clips that deal with challenges common to the cancer journey such as receiving the diagnosis, telling friends and family, talking to kids, body image, and practical advice. The Truth of It series, with 30 videos currently available, was created in collaboration with accomplished filmmaker Wendy Rowland and Dr. Michael Evans, Director of the Health Design Lab of the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.

“The Partnership has created this series as part of our work to better understand and improve people’s cancer experience,” said Dr. Margaret Fitch, a psychosocial expert who is Chair of the Partnership’s Cancer Journey Advisory Group and co-lead of the Patient and Family Support Program at Sunnybrook’s Odette Cancer Centre. “By helping health care professionals to tune into the patient’s perspective, The Truth of It will help to enhance patient care – while also serving as a unique resource for people with a personal connection to cancer who can benefit from insight and information from others who have walked the cancer journey.”

Jennifer Smith is one of the people who shares her story in the videos. In 2003 at the age of 38, she was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia and has since undergone chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant. She is married and has two children.

“If this resource were available when I was diagnosed, it would have helped me navigate the many uncertainties and range of emotions that I experienced,” said Jennifer. “Because hearing from others in similar situations can be such a helpful way of coping, I’m hoping that other people can learn from my story.”

The Truth of It is part of the growing collection of cancer control resources, information and services available at Cancer View Canada, the online portal launched by the Partnership with and for the cancer control community.

“Technology is radically changing the way people seek answers to their health questions, but hearing about someone’s actual experience — their ‘story’ — is still the most powerful tool,” said Dr. Michael Evans, family physician and Director of the Health Design Lab at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute. “In marrying technology with stories, The Truth of It enables people to engage with other Canadians whose experiences resonate with their own. These firsthand accounts offer a range of perspectives that make this series useful to both patients and professionals.”

The above article can also serve as a reminder of several upcoming fundraiser events that we hope you will help support. The Canary Derby will run in Vancouver/Burnaby on September 25th. This is a soap box derby for technology companies who want to help fund early cancer detection research, and as an added bonus, the derby is a ton of fun.

October 3rd is CIBC’s Run For The Cure, Canada’s largest single day, volunteer-led fundraising event dedicated to raising funds for breast cancer research, and education and awareness programs. Who will you be running for?

For Guild Wars players, you can get involved by supporting the Gamers Give Back resurrection of Pink Day in L.A. (Lion’s Arch), which will take place on October 16th. If you don’t play Guild Wars, you can still support the event via its Canadian Cancer Society donation page.

Dragon Age players - today is the day for the latest DLC chapter. Bioware invites you to delve deep underground in Golems of Amgarrak to save a missing dwarven expedition in search of ancient secrets for creating monstrous constructs. Only you can uncover the gruesome fate that befell them.

Put your Warden back in action and adventure through new environments, meet new characters and defeat never before seen creatures. With an engrossing new storyline and challenging puzzles this is one add-on for the PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 versions that you don’t want to miss.

* Import your character from Origins or Awakening or create a new, high-level hero!
* Face an all-new terrifying creature
* Earn powerful rewards that transfer into your Awakening and Origins campaign
* An advanced challenge for even the most experienced adventurers

The Canadian Innovation Exchange (December 7th in Toronto) is on the hunt for the company with the most innovative product or services in ICT, Cleantech, and Digital Media. Being recognized as one of Canada’s Hottest Innovative Companies is a tremendous accolade and will enable you to meet with potential partners, customers, investors and your peers in facilitated meeting exchanges.

You will also be able to:

* Achieve broad media recognition as one of Canada’s Hottest Innovative Companies
* Connect with the brightest minds behind the most cutting edge innovations in ICT, Cleantech and Digital Media
* Gain insight into the market as industry experts, visionaries and trailblazers share their knowledge and experience

Submit your profile by Friday August 13th 2010 and receive 50% off your pass to CIX 2010.
(If you are chosen to present you will receive a full refund plus a free additional pass for a colleague to attend CIX 2010). Final submission deadline is October 1st, 2010

Ubisoft announced that it will release a Collectors’ Edition of Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood in conjunction with the launch of the game this November 16th. The Collector’s Edition of the game will be bundled with exclusive content and items including (may be subject to change):

- The Harlequin Jack-in-the-Box Collectible (exclusive to GameStop customers only) or The Doctor Jack-in-the-Box Collectible (available at all other participating retailers)
– Two Exclusive In-Game Single Player Maps
– Hard Copy Strategy Map of Rome
– Exclusive Art Book
- Bonus Disc which will contain an exclusive Making-of Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood Video, a digital Sneak Peak at the Assassin’s Creed Comic, trailers and the Game Soundtrack.

As noted in the features list above, if you pre-order your Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood Collector’s Edition from a retailer other than GameStop, you will receive The Doctor instead of The Harlequin.

Once again, though, the European collector’s version far outstrips that which is available to the game’s “home country of development” and in my opinion tells North American gamers that once again those who live across the Atlantic are the favourites, so will be getting loads of cool stuff.

The EU version contains:

Renaissance Collector Chest
Exclusive Codex
Map of Rome
Multiplayer characters cards
Lineage DVD along with Bonus DVD and game soundtrack
2 Exclusive single player maps: Aqua Gear & Trajan Market
2 Multiplayer characters: Harlequin & Officer
Additional bonus content yet to be revealed

For $99.99, The Collector’s Edition will be available for the Xbox 360® and PlayStation®3. Supplies are limited, so pre-order now to guarantee a copy. Note: I tried to pre-order yesterday from our local EB Games outlet, the CE wasn’t even in their system yet, and as of a few minutes ago, it’s still not available at Gamestop.ca’s online store either. Apparently, if you pre-order from Amazon.com you also get Ezio’s Helmschmied Drachen Armour, but I haven’t confirmed if this will be available on Amazon.ca because they don’t have the CE listed at all.

Wicked Interactive Ltd. and Suba Games LLC Inc. are bringing the hit free-to-play MMORPG Fragoria back to the North American market via the Suba Games portal. Fragoria is one of the most advanced web-based massively multiplayer online role playing games—often referred to as a game that expands the boundaries of what a browser-based game can be. To celebrat Fragoria’s North American launch campaign, Suba Games has a month of giveaways, prizes, in-game events, and much more.

The game features beautifully detailed sprite graphics, 18 character classes to choose from, an immersive pet system, multiple PvP (Player vs. Player) modes, character professions, and most importantly, a slew of missions—with full location guiding for every quest. In Fragoria players will indulge themselves in a world full of fantasy and fights. They will compete against others in PvP Modes such as; The Castle, Blade Runner, Fighter Pit, Witch’s Circle, Capture the Flag, Gone Nuts, Last Man Standing, Snow Fortress, Mayhem and King of the Hill.

Together with HMH Interactive, Canadian publisher DreamCatcher Games and JoWooD will release two high-class Adventure Titles in Winter 2010 – Book of Unwritten Tales and Haunted for global distribution for PC DVD.

Book of Unwritten Tales, the award-winning Point & Click Adventure has already been released in the first quarter 2009 in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and has received excellent feedback by gaming media and gamers. JoWooD Entertainment will now act as the global distributor and is looking forward to the release of the localized versions of the game. A big emphasis will be put on rendering homage to the great books and movies of the role game and fantasy genre. Therefore JoWooD will hire the best translators and Voice Actors so that the great quality of the animated dialogues is assured. More than 40 characters will wittily interact so that the gamer can solve more than 150 challenging riddles in more than 60 lovingly created settings.

Book of Unwritten Tales will be THE Adventure Release 2010 – release date winter 2010.
Haunted is a new adventure that stands in line with previous games by the genre specialist Deck 13, who is internationally renowned for successful classics such as “ANKH” and “Jack Keane”. The high quality game will inspire gamers with a harmonious storyline and demanding riddles.

Haunted takes the gamer along with the main character Mary, who finds herself all alone on the mysterious streets of London during the 19th Century after her sister’s death. But she soon realizes she is not as lonesome as she thought when she hears her sister’s voice asking her for help. In the course of the game, Mary is also joined by supernatural attendants as ghosts come to support her… – needless to say that the gamer will encounter the typical Deck 13 humor.

“With both of the adventure games Haunted and Book Of Unwritten Tales, we signed two extraordinary Adventure Games that were ‘made in Germany’ and we are proud to distribute these A-Titles globally”, says a joyful Stefan Berger, Head of Business Development JoWooD Entertainment.
“Both the Marketing and the Distribution departments are highly motivated and are looking forward to releasing these real gems. The two games will significantly promote our brands ‘The Adventure Company’ position at the top of the Adventure Game Genre.”

The Canada Media Fund has approved funding for 21 projects (PDF) of the 33 which had applied for funding from the English POV Program. The program budget, at $3.5M, has been fully subscribed, with $2.6M committed to television components and $0.9M committed to digital media components. Twelve of the projects included rich and substantial digital media components, six included VOD/digital distribution (not funded by the CMF), and three included basic digital media components (not funded by the CMF).

Of the approved projects, one was from Atlantic Canada, nine from Quebec, seven from Ontario, and four from Western Canada. Eight of the 21 projects had a broadcaster agreement at the application stage. All projects have until December 6 to complete financing, including broadcaster agreements. It should be noted that these decisions and funding commitments are preliminary, as all requests must undergo a contracting process. Funding is not final until contracts are signed. An updated list will be published once contracting is complete.

The Canada Media Fund is also holding a contest for a chance to win a VIP weekend for two to Montréal, including transportation, two nights’ accommodation, and tickets to the 2010 Prix Gémeaux gala. The objective of the contest to raise awareness amongst the Canadian public about the organization and to draw the connection between the shows they love to watch and the funding agency that supports their creation.

Congratulations to DHX Media Ltd on the sealing of two licensing deals for its pre-school Kid vs Kat series in Latin America with TV Azteca in Mexico and ECTV in Ecuador. The sales come following the second season commission of the series from Disney XD US, Disney XD Europe, and YTV in Canada.

Josh Scherba, SVP Distribution of DHX Media commented: “Our shows have a significant presence in Latin America, and we’re keen to do more business in the region. Kid vs Kat is building a strong fan base, and the commitment from Disney XD and YTV to a second season gives us a solid foundation for further international deals.”

Created by Rob Boutilier, Kid vs Kat won the 2009 Leo Award for Best Animated Programme and airs in over 100 territories DHX Media has sold the show to a number of additional broadcasters including VRAK Canada, ABC Australia, Disney Latin America, Cartoon Network Korea, Disney India, Disney Japan and Nick SE Asia.

The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) returns to the Toronto International Film Festival (September 9-19, 2010) with three films—the world premiere of Sturla Gunnarsson’s documentary about Canadian scientist and activist David Suzuki (co-production with Entertainment One); the Canadian premiere of animator Claude Cloutier’s latest short; and Theodore Ushev’s animated tribute to filmmaker Arthur Lipsett.

Award-winning director Sturla Gunnarsson presents a biography of ideas featuring iconic Canadian scientist, educator, broadcaster and activist David Suzuki. At 73 years of age, Suzuki delivered what he describes as “a last lecture—a distillation of my life and thoughts, my legacy, what I want to say before I die.” In Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie, Gunnarsson interweaves the lecture with scenes from the places and the major social, scientific, cultural and political events of the past 70 years of Suzuki’s life. Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie is produced by Entertainment One in co-production with the NFB and in association with CBC.

The short animated film The Trenches is an intense cinematic experience, a powerful anti-war film that asks the question, Why? Created through archival images masterfully contemporized by filmmaker Claude Cloutier’s India ink and brush artistry, The Trenches follows the inner reality of the protagonist, a young soldier on the battlefield, through half-real, half-surrealistic scenes that reveal the symbolic importance of the earth. The Trenches is produced by Marc Bertrand at the NFB’s French Animation Studio.

Theodore Ushev’s Lipsett Diaries is a descent into the maelstrom of anguish that tormented Arthur Lipsett, a famed Canadian experimental filmmaker who died at 49. Narrated by Xavier Dolan, the animated short uses a series of imagined diary entries transmuted into a clash of images and sounds to evoke the artist’s frenzied creations and dizzying descent into depression and madness. Lipsett Diaries is produced by Marc Bertrand at the NFB’s French Animation Studio.

Despite a year of decreased revenues for all other major media in Canada, the Interactive Advertising Bureau of Canada (IAB) today announced that Canadian Online Advertising Revenues for 2009 exceeded budgeted expectations of $1.75 billion, and grew by 14% to $1.82 billion for 2009.

According to IABC’s study (PDF), publisher revenue from Online advertising in Canada has increased at double digit rates in all but one of the past 10 years — building from $98 million in 2000 to the $1.82 billion mark reported above — and is rapidly closing in on Newspaper ad revenue.

Online Advertising now represents 13% of the combined $13.8 billion total spent on all channels.

Of the $1.82 billion, approximately $352 million or 19% of Online ad revenue was received by French Canadian Online publishing properties, representing year-over-year growth of 11%. Search advertising continues to lead in terms of share of dollars booked by Online Publishers ($741 million/41%), followed by Display ($578 million/32%) and Classifieds ($467 million/26%). Together, these three advertising vehicles represent 99% of all of the Online advertising booked in Canada.

Online Video advertising nearly doubled in 2009: growing from $12 million in 2008 to $20 million; while Publisher-based Email advertising lost ground, declining from $18 million in 2008 to just $13 million in 2009. Advertising within the VideoGaming environment in Canada was also reported for the first time in 2009, and sits at $3 million dollars.

2009 Canadian Online Ad Revenue by Advertiser Category was also tabulated, and was as follows:

- Automotive – 12%;
– Packaged Goods – 10%;
– Financial – 10%;
– Technology -9%;
– Retail – 7%;
– Telecommunications – 5%;
– Entertainment – 5%;
– Leisure (Travel, Hotel, Hospitality) – 5%;
– Media – 4%;
– Pharma/Health – 2%; and,
– Other – 31%.

Publishers within IAB Canada’s Annual Revenue Survey have projected that their revenues will continue to grow at an enviable pace, with Online Advertising Revenue in Canada estimated to be $2.1 billion in 2010, or 15% more than the 2009 actuals. This forecast includes a 14% increase to $400 million for French Publishers’ Online advertising revenues.

“It seems incredible that after passing the $1 billion revenue mark just two years ago — and after the worst recession in history — Internet advertising in Canada is poised to break through to the $2 billion mark in 2010,” says Paula Gignac, President, IAB Canada.

“What’s even more impressive, is that Internet advertising in Canada has grown at a double-digit rate in the face of low, no, or negative growth in other countries. To me, that’s a testament to both the rising importance of the Internet within the total media mix, and the growing expertise in Interactive marketing within the Canadian advertising community. Clearly, the few advertising pioneers of yesterday have now been joined by a mass of companies who have not only made the jump to Interactive, but who are also increasing their investment based on positive brand and direct results from the various channels within.”

IAB Canada also has several upcoming events – MIXX Canada takes place in Toronto this September 29th, and there is a full slate of Road Show events taking place across the country between September 30th and October 15th. Check the MIXX Canada site for dates and locations.

The final word today goes to MEGA Brands, who is very excited to announce the international launch of its all-new construction-toy line: Dragons Universe™. The story of Dragons Universe starts on an isolated planet where the soldiers of the Alliance are under attack from the Predavors, an alien race of warlike Dragons. The Predavors have come in search of the Cores, glowing spheres that are the source of all power.

Kids will be immersed into the Dragons Universe brand through a 360 degree marketing campaign including television & online advertising, a microsite, retail events and displays, an online comic book and other exciting initiatives.

The Dragons Universe product line introduces an incredible group of new characters, playsets, and fearsome dragons, including the Small Dragon Eggs and Alliance Pods. At a SRP of $6.99 (USD), this assortment features buildable Predavor Dragons or Alliance Speeders, each sold with a unique storage container. The key collectible of the line is the Large Dragon Egg assortment, at a SRP of $11.99 (USD). Each of these four big buildable Dragons, Clawripper, Blackheart, Torchwing and Tailspike, include removable weapons and real working missile launchers. The included storage container is a large dragon egg.

The Dragons Universe playsets range from SRP of $19.99 to $49.99 (USD), and each one includes characters, Dragons and buildable vehicles to let kids create their own battle scenes. The Rapid Fire Dragon Fighter features the unique Flight Controller for precise aerial maneuvers that doubles as landing gear, real working weapon and Alliance and Predavor characters. The Deluxe Dual-Blast Dragon Hunter ratchets up the action with twin firing weapons, Flight Controller landing gear, and awesome light and sound FX including multiple weapon sounds, light-up Engine Cores and realistic power-up, flight and landing sound effects. The battle rages with two Alliance soldiers and the Predavor Dragon Iceblaze.

The battle reaches epic proportions with the Ultimate Action Dragon Destroyer. The massive Alliance Warbyrd takes on two Predavor Dragons, Bloodclaw and Deadeye, with multiple missile launchers, dual Flight Controllers and incredible sound and light effects. And for the first time, kids can take an active part in the battle with the Dragon Blaster that detaches from the ship to bring true role-play into the world of Dragons Universe.

Congratulations are due to Tickle Tap Apps developer zinc Roe, the proud recipient of three Parents’ Choice Awards in the highly competitive Mobile Apps category. Sound Shaker and Sort Slider both earned Gold Awards for highest quality apps while Count Caddy was recognized with Silver Honors for excellence. These popular apps are educational iPhone games preschoolers love and parents can feel good about.

To celebrate the awards, zinc Roe will be giving away Bug Builder, the newest app in the Tickle Tap series, for free! Visit the iTunes App Store on Saturday, July 3 or Sunday, July 4 and type “Bug Builder” into the search to download your free app.

The venerable Parents’ Choice Foundation has been reviewing and recommending quality children’s media for more than three decades. This year it was inundated with entries for its new Mobile Apps category. Apps were judged based on overall ratings for how each app amused and offered new ways to learn. The judges describe Tickle Tap Apps as “a charming introduction to learning anytime and anywhere.”

“zinc Roe design offers a suite of bright and colorful apps for the youngest users,” says the Parents’ Choice Awards review of the Tickle Tap apps. “With its welcoming continuity of voice and characters, this age-appropriate playful prologue is deliciously intriguing to those eager to learn.”

Tickle Tap Apps are attractive, simple games that help kids learn about numbers, shapes and patterns. The apps are developed by child gaming experts, vetted by educational researchers and tested by kids. These portable games help transform trips, line-ups and car rides into fun, educational experiences for young children.

U.S. publisher 505 Games and Canadian developer Artificial Mind and Movement (A2M) have released the bears – Naughty Bear is now available for the Xbox 360™ and PlayStation®3 platforms. The game allows players to take on the role of the infamous Naughty Bear, who is driven to seek retribution after his fellow bears snub him one time too many times. After the other bears exclude him from Daddles’ big birthday party, Naughty Bear finally snaps and slashes a grisly path of revenge and destruction across the Island of Perfection.

Waging psychological warfare against all things cute and fluffy, as Naughty Bear, players engage in sadistic scuffles on all that crosses their path. Using a hilarious array of weapons, interactive objects and endless scare tactics, gamers create chaos on the Island of Perfection to earn Naughty Points as they inflict physical and psychological harm on Naughty Bear’s numerous enemies. This all-new scare-based points system allows players to win the most rewards for being truly deviant and maniacal. As the ill-fated bears become more difficult to harass and terrorize as the game progresses, the variety of scare-based attacks allow for a completely new experience each time players pick up a controller.

Rated by the ESRB as “T” for Teens with a “Violence” content descriptor, Naughty Bear features more than 28 single player levels to unlock as well as competitive online multiplayer modes filled with unique characteristics and weaponry encountered at every stage. Players battle an endless barrage of bears recruited to wage war against Naughty, including Soldier Bears, Ninja Bears, Robo Bears and even an Alien Bear invasion. As they scour the Island of Perfection to unleash their naughtiness, players can collect all the hidden party items locked away by the other bears to win wearable items and unlock special Achievements and Trophies.

Transgaming has just announced that Her Interactive’s title Nancy Drew: Trail of the Twister is now available on GameTree Online for Mac gamers. Download the game for only $19.99 and then go undercover as a storm chaser, immersing yourself in meteorology by studying clouds, reading Doppler data, and surviving tornadoes – all while trying to find a saboteur.

For the second time in as many weeks, Canadian rockers Nickelback have ventured into the musical game genre, this time with California-based developer Tapulous. The studio is extending its wildly popular Tap Tap Revenge franchise with the launch of Nickelback Revenge, which is available now for $4.99 in the iTunes App Store. The new game features eleven of Nickelback’s most popular all-time songs, including “Rockstar,” “This Afternoon,” and “If Today Was Your Last Day.”

“The combination of our music and Tapulous’ gameplay is very cool. We’re excited to give our fans a fun, interactive way to experience our music,” said Chad Kroeger of Nickelback.

A premium version of Tapulous’ addictive music rhythm game, Nickelback Revenge sets gameplay to the band’s biggest hits and integrates engaging Nickelback graphics and content. The game also includes a popular Bluetooth-based “battle mode” which allows players to wirelessly challenge friends to point-by-point battles for bragging rights.

“We’re thrilled to bring Nickelback to Tap Tap Revenge. Our players are always hungry for more great music, and Nickelback definitely fits the bill,” explained Tim O’Brien, VP of business development at Tapulous. “Whether measured by album sales, song downloads or concert attendance, Nickelback is huge.”

To kick off the launch, Tapulous and Roadrunner Records, Nickelback’s worldwide music label, are running a special promotion: The first 2,500 consumers to download the game will receive 25 in-game credits — good towards the purchase of more music — and a chance to win a Gibson Flying V signed by the band. In addition, players will be challenged to “Outplay Nickelback,” or beat the band members’ highest in-game scores. Players who best Chad, lead guitarist Ryan Peake, bass guitarist Mike Kroeger and/or drummer Daniel Adair will be entered to win weekly prizes, including Dark Horse tour books and premium earphones.

Consumers across the globe are embracing the Internet as a primary source of information, but Canadians are unique in their use of digital and social media. The 2010 Digital Influence Index, released in Canada today by Fleishman-Hillard in conjunction with Harris Interactive, reveals that Canadians have high online engagement but a lower level of trust in the Internet.

The study also measures several key aspects of consumers’ use of the Internet, from media consumption patterns, to the degree of adoption of various digital behaviours, to involvement in social networking. Now in its second year, the Index has expanded to include 48 per cent of the global online population, spanning the United States, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, China, Japan and Canada.

“Canadian consumers are comfortable yet cautious when it comes to using the Internet,” said David Bradfield, senior partner and global chair of Fleishman-Hillard’s digital practice. “We lead the world in social networking and call the Internet our most influential source of information. There’s a gap though. While consumers migrate online, marketers aren’t making the move to digital fast enough. They need to realign their marketing and communication programs or risk irrelevance in the consumers’ mind.”

The Digital Influence Index reveals the following key insights that set Canadian consumers apart from the rest of the world:

1. Internet Most Influential Medium: The Internet is the most important and influential form of media consumed by Canadians. Compared to the 37 per cent of Canadian consumers who say that newspapers are important to their lives, 52 per cent say that the Internet is most important.
2. Canadians are Sociable: Sixty-nine per cent of Canadian consumers have a Facebook account, compared with the 47 per cent average across the seven countries. Though Canadians embrace social media, they are cautious about its use and how much they reveal about themselves.
3. Canadians Seek Accuracy: In Canada, consumers are more likely to identify and follow a couple of trustworthy sources for the most accurate information on the Internet.
4. Cautiously Trusting: Canadians are most likely to seek advice from others when making a decision and value conversations with friends, families and co-workers when it comes to decision-making.
5. Twitter Know-how: Consumers in Canada are the most knowledgeable of microblogs but have low levels of trust in companies that microblog.
6. Pay to Play Doesn’t Pay-off: Consumers call into question the truthfulness of an article written by a blogger if the blogger was given a free sample or was paid by a company.
7. Adopting Mobile Behaviours: Canada has a relatively low level of adopting many mobile digital behaviours compared with other mature markets (U.S., U.K, France, Germany and Japan).
8. Where to From Here: Although the Internet is already considered an influential medium, only 24 per cent of Canadians believe that it will have a greater influence on their decisions in the next two years.

Waterloo’s Primate Labs, developer of the cross-platform Geekbench benchmark, is pleased to announce the immediate availability of Geekbench 2 for iPhone and iPod touch on the iTunes App Store. Geekbench 2 for iPhone features a completely new interface designed for the iPhone and iPod touch, and runs the same benchmarks as Geekbench 2 for other platforms.

“What’s great about Geekbench 2 for iPhone is that it runs the same benchmarks as Geekbench 2 on other operating systems,” says John Poole, founder of Primate Labs. “Users can not only compare their results between other iPhones and iPods, but also between iPhones, iPods, Macs, and PCs.”

Accuracy: Geekbench 2 for iPhone runs a number of different benchmarks, all of which are engineered to simulate real-world usage scenarios. Geekbench quickly and accurately measure processor and memory performance. Geekbench also displays results for each individual benchmark and an average overall score for all benchmarks, allowing users to make both broad and narrow comparisons between devices.

Ease of use: Geekbench 2 for iPhone features a simple user interface with no difficult or confusing benchmark options to set, which takes the guesswork out of producing repeatable and reliable benchmark results.

Community: Geekbench 2 for iPhone integrates with the Geekbench Result Browser. The Geekbench Result Browser allows users to upload, manage, and share their benchmark results online. Users can also compare their results to other results; with over 250,000 results from different sectors and industries (including finance, government, media, and tech) the Geekbench Result Browser provides a rich database for comparisons.

Geekbench 2 for iPhone requires an iPhone or iPod touch running iOS 4 or later, and is available today on the iTunes App Store for $4.99.

The National Film Board (NFB) of Canada, which is undergoing the complete digitization of its 70-year film and tape-based collection, has implemented American-developed Atempo Digital Archive (ADA) as the cornerstone archival solution for its preservation efforts. The organization has integrated ADA within its digitization workflow to archive and manage over 13,000 works that make up 6,000 hours of content.

In developing the NFB’s Digitization Plan, the challenge was preserving this priceless audiovisual legacy for future generations while making these collections available to all on the platform of their choice, including theatrical screenings, online streaming and on mobile devices. The new digital archive ensures the reliable long-term retention of the NFB’s collection as well as the efficient management of the exponential growth in data volumes from all new productions. With its cataloguing, indexation and search functionalities, ADA’s broad capabilities make it optimized to meet the NFB’s most critical needs. Furthermore, by seamlessly integrating with the NFB’s existing in-house asset management system, ADA helps streamline content workflows.

A special XML-ingest capability in ADA enables the archival of all digital assets along with all their metadata. In the NFB’s digitization workflow, three separate digital versions are created and archived for each production: the uncompressed Digital Source Master, the Digital Master with treatment of image and sound elements, and an unassembled, compressed mezzanine file that is used to generate copies of the production for other distribution platforms such as streaming broadband or mobile devices. At the same time, each digital version also requires the recording and archival of the film’s metadata, which include the resolution at which it was digitized, the different aspect ratios, the source type, and other content factors. For every 100 titles, the digitization process generates over 10 million metadata entries associated with 30 TB of content and 2.4 million files.

Many of the NFB’s films are repurposed or edited into new works, and ADA’s automation enables the organization to efficiently meet their repurposing mandates by providing platform- and format-specific deliverables to their customers. ADA provides an easy-to-use graphical interface that simplifies metadata searches and allows drag-and-drop archive and retrieval, which enables NFB technicians and collection managers to efficiently search and retrieve works from the archive.

Vancouver’s Maximizer Software Inc. has announced the availability of the first-ever Maximizer CRM 11 Team Edition and enhanced CRM 11 Entrepreneur Edition, tailored for organizations with individual or up to five networked users that primarily need contact management functionality. The new Team Edition is designed for organizations with 5-50 networked users that demand more advanced sales opportunity management and collaboration. These latest offerings complete the rollout of Maximizer CRM 11 across four editions, with Group and Enterprise Editions previously launched on March 29.

“With today’s small business landscape tougher than ever, professionals are demanding real-time access to critical customer and prospect information—as well as the ability to strategically act on sales pipeline activity—in a moment’s notice,” said William Anderson, executive vice president of technology, Maximizer Software. “Our new ‘Team’ approach to sales was developed with this in mind, as Maximizer CRM 11 enables powerful collaboration and knowledge sharing among colleagues so they can collectively focus on efficiently closing the highest priority sales opportunities, whether in the office or on the road.”

Maximizer CRM 11 offers expanded sales force automation capabilities and tools to proactively monitor and keep sales opportunities moving forward. Team edition specifically offers advanced Sales Opportunity Management, which enables companies to create Sales Teams within the system—whether domestic or international, with time zone support built into related appointments and tasks. Sales managers are able to leverage critical insight into the status of sales deals in the pipeline with real-time access into performance data by representative or sales team, to better focus resources and facilitate stronger collaboration to close key deals. Additionally, sales team members can quickly merge customer information with professional HTML email templates for timely sales outreach and follow-up activities.

Maximizer CRM 11 features a new, intuitive user interface based on Microsoft Office’s familiar “ribbon” style navigation found at the top of Microsoft Office applications. Users can optimize their customer list management by associating specific column views to catalogue searches and “favourites” lists for quicker search results.

Delivered via BlackBerry® devices, Maximizer Mobile CRM gives small business professionals instant access to information in the field, including customers’ history, leads, sales opportunities, dashboards, customer service cases, documents, and schedules. Included in Maximizer CRM 11 Team Edition and available as an add-on product for Entrepreneur Edition, new Maximizer Mobile CRM features include optimized usability, such as a redesigned interface, tighter integration with native BlackBerry applications, and more end-to-end features that enable deeper interaction with real-time customer data. Wireless synchronization is no longer required. Specific new offerings include:

* Real-time access to content, documents and e-mail attachments stored in the central Maximizer CRM database
* GPS functionality with turn-by-turn maps and navigation, which enables mobilized workforces to optimize their time on the road and get new directions on-the-fly if schedules unexpectedly change
* Multimedia support for video, voice and images that can be easily saved to a current Maximizer CRM record
* Mobile CRM multi-user support, which allows users to assign tasks, escalate cases, and assign opportunities to other colleagues without returning to the desktop application

Featuring CRM functionality specifically tailored for smaller teams, Maximizer CRM 11 Team and Entrepreneur Editions are available from Maximizer or through its global network of business partners. Team Edition is priced at $549 MSRP per license, which includes desktop and mobile access, as well as one year of inclusive upgrade assurance and technical support. Entrepreneur Edition is available for $199 MSRP and includes desktop access with the option for mobile access as an add-on product with additional license fees. Please inquire for full pricing and promotional offers valid until August 31, 2010.

Capcom and Blue Castle Games have released a new trailer for Dead Rising 2: Case Zero, which is scheduled for release on June 30th. A unique and stand alone piece of content, Dead Rising 2: Case Zero will introduce players to the main protagonist, Chuck Greene, and game play features of Dead Rising 2 ahead of its release. Available exclusively to Xbox 360 owners via Xbox LIVE, Dead Rising 2: Case Zero is set two years after the Willamette incident chronicled in the original Dead Rising and three years before the action of Dead Rising 2. Players purchasing Dead Rising 2: Case Zero who then go on to buy Dead Rising 2 will be able to carry over character attributes earned such as Player Level, to a maximum of five, Prestige Points alongside skills, Combo Cards and a number of alternate outfits. Dead Rising 2: Case Zero is not yet listed in the XBox Marketplace.

TransGaming, Inc. has announced the redesign of its Mac digital distribution portal, GameTreeOnline, as well as the release of exciting new Mac games. As at E3 this week and on our site yesterday, GameTreeOnline features two new Disney Interactive titles, Toy Story 3 and Disney Princess: Enchanted Journey. Both titles are available immediately and only from GameTreeOnline as digital downloads. In addition, GameTreeOnline will release Her Interactive’s first award-winning Nancy Drew franchise title for Mac on June 29, 2010.

These new releases complement two new Massive Multiplayer Online (MMO) games from Riot Games and LEGO®, League of Legends and LEGO Universe, respectively. The Mac enablement and deployment of high quality franchises, such as LEGO’s first ever MMO title, clearly define TransGaming’s leadership position and adds to the company’s growing collection of award-winning titles that have been enabled for the Mac community using TransGaming’s Cider Portability Technology.

“TransGaming’s announcement of these new games coming to the Mac, at this year’s E3 Conference, clearly demonstrates to the gaming community that leading publishers are pursuing the Mac platform and are focused on releasing a simultaneous PC/Mac hybrid product,” commented Vikas Gupta, CEO & President of TransGaming. “We have maintained our commitment to giving Mac gamers the highest quality gaming content and we are bringing these incredible games to the Mac simultaneously with their PC counterparts, which is possible only through our portability technology. TransGaming is truly delivering on the promise of a low-touch enablement technology for simultaneous multi-platform releases.”

Disney Interactive Studios have released the E3 trailer for Propaganda Games‘ upcoming epic, action role-playing game Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned, which will give gamers an entirely new experience within the Pirates of the Caribbean universe. The game takes place before the events of the blockbuster films. Players will take on the role of a pirate and embark on epic land and sea adventures. Numerous moral and character choices will need to be made that affect their character and the original story within the world. Players will explore a massive open world while fighting enemies, mystical creatures and Mother Nature, both to gain experience and stay alive. Supernatural elements familiar to the Pirates of the Caribbean world will also affect their character’s story and influence their choices. Armada of the Damned is scheduled to be released in the Fall of 2010 for next-gen consoles and Windows PC.

“Armada of the Damned is a dynamic action role-playing game that captures all of the franchise’s excitement, unpredictability and action while delving into narrative elements never before explored within this unique universe,” said Dan Tudge, vice president and general manager, Propaganda Games. “Our team’s collective experience with industry-leading RPGs and action titles provides a strong foundation for us to create and build a compelling action role-playing title.”

Disney Interactive has also released a new and innovative E3 2010 trailer for the TRON: Evolution video game that connects the storyline of the game and the film. The piece features the voice of Bruce Boxleitner as the character TRON, who takes the player through their paces and prepares them for immersion into a world they’ve never seen.

Developed with visuals by Digital Domain, the company that is creating the effects for the “TRON: Legacy” film, this trailer does not show gameplay footage from the video game. Instead, the trailer was created as a unique piece of entertainment providing fans their first sneak peek at the video game fiction of TRON: Evolution which leads up to the events of the “TRON: Legacy” film. This trailer shows off the exciting action that fans will experience when they immerse themselves in the game, diving deep into a vast new world like no other complete with engaging narrative, complex mythology, high octane light cycle action, and high mobility combat – a unique mix of capeora, parkour and more.

Mobile Game Studios have announced that their pirate adventure The High Seas is now available in the iTunes App Store for 60% less. This new action packed game casts the gamer as global treasure hunter. Fighting against the mighty pirates, lethal castles and deadly whirlpools you sail the seas in search of treasure chests, traveling through the Caribbean and Arctic on your quest for the title of a first class treasure hunter.

The High Seas brings you into a whole new world, full of action, danger and mystery. Each level will present you with a new challenge – you are to collect the set amount of gold, but the mighty pirates will do everything in their power to protect their loot. Take a stand against your enemies with your cannons, blasting them out of the water. The seas are also against you on your quest as they put deadly towers, castles, icebergs and whirlpools in your path. The Ghost Armada will bring your skills into question along with the mystical ghost towers as it tries to foil your search for treasure. There is also a lite version of The High Seas, which is available for free.

The Canadian Film and Television Production Association is pleased to announce it is changing its name to the Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA) to better reflect the multi-screen world and the future of our industry.

“Independent producers create high-quality Canadian content and are at the heart of the feature film, broadcasting and content distribution system,” says Norm Bolen, President and Chief Executive Officer, CMPA. “The global shift towards digital technology and new forms of distribution means we have to change with the times. The new name embraces the opportunities for our members to create new partnerships and expand into the international market place.”

The new name also adheres to a tradition within the organization to update itself as technology advances. Founded in 1948, the Association was originally known as the Association of Motion Picture Producers and Laboratories of Canada. In 1974, it changed its name to the Canadian Film and Television Association and then in 1990 it merged with the Association of Canadian Film and Television Producers to form the Canadian Film and Television Production Association.

The Board of the CMPA has appointed Tom Cox as its new Chair to lead the rebranding. Cox is managing partner of SEVEN24 Films, based in Alberta. His career spans 25 years; creating, developing, and producing dramatic features, television series and movies which have garnered over 100 awards and nominations.

“I’m delighted to be working with such a knowledgeable staff and Board of Directors to ensure that Canadian producers remain at the centre of our national cultural community and form a strong and sustainable part of Canada’s entrepreneurial sector,” says Cox.

Tom’s recent executive producer credits include Heartland for CBC, Mayerthorpe for CTV and Burn Up for BBC and Global. His co-producer credits include Brokeback Mountain and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.

“Tom not only talks the talk, he walks the walk,” says John Barrack, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Legal Officer CMPA. “Tom knows independent producers must develop new business models to flourish in the creative economy. SEVEN24 and Toronto-based marblemedia have recently joined forces to create DISTRIBUTION360 (D360), a forward-thinking distribution company focused on the full monetization of television and interactive content across traditional and emerging global platforms. That’s the kind of innovation we need to bring Canada to the world.”

The CMPA also thanks outgoing Chair, Sandra Cunningham, for her valuable contribution to the Association over the past three years.

“Sandra’s wealth of experience in the feature film industry, her poise and her passion for Canadian stories made her a great leader for the Association,” says Bolen. “We wish her and her company, Strada Films, all the best in the future.”

New York company MediaNet, a provider of digital entertainment content, launched today in Canada the advanced MN Open platform which provides an API and a suite of easy to install Web Components for the digital delivery of music and eBook premium content. MediaNet operates a high volume media distribution network delivering premium content in the US for application and web developers of all sizes from niche bloggers to global brands. MediaNet also opened its doors to the MN Open platform in the UK today.

Available today in all Canadian territories customers can add digital music and eBooks to any website or application. MediaNet has fast-tracked the sign-up process to make it self-serve, quick, easy and free with no coding required. MediaNet handles the commerce including credit card processing and pricing in Canadian currency, as well as a real-time reporting portal to track performance.

Alan McGlade, CEO of MediaNet, stated: “Canada has a dynamic online community that is interested in consuming digital entertainment. MediaNet can now offer web publishers, application developers and online retailers in Canada a frictionless path to integrate a deep catalog of premium content into their products and deliver it to end users.”

MediaNet’s digital music offering in Canada consists of a robust API and a suite of Web Components. With the MN Open API, customers have complete control over the user experience, functionality, e-commerce and an 8 million-plus song and music video catalog with all services delivered under their brand. The API features include:

– Integration into any website or application
— Advanced catalog search capabilities with fuzzy matching
— Customized pricing and exclusive content
— Rich metadata including bios and reviews for songs, albums, and artists
— Use of MediaNet’s e-commerce engine or integration with the customer’s existing e-commerce
— Compatibility with any programming language
— Ability to select and incorporate the features that are just right for a customer’s end users and business model
— REST-based HTTP service

MediaNet’s Web Components for digital music are easy to install and incorporate into a website with no coding required. Customers copy and paste the code snippets anywhere on their page with their branding front and center. Available in three main categories: contextual matching; commerce and discovery, Web Components features include:

Media Matcher: Automatically matches MediaNet’s catalog to existing web content
Media Links: Hyperlinks references to artists, albums and songs within existing content on page
Relevant Media Search: Integrates into site’s existing search and returns media results alongside regular search results
Media Explorer: Bios, reviews and discographies to encourage discovery and more page views
Media Charts: Charts top selling content to entice music discovery, sampling and purchases
Media Purchase: Fulfills purchases through an automatically configured and setup component which appears in its dedicated, secure window
Media Selector: Custom build a list of up to 100 songs or albums, publish it and dynamically add it anywhere on your site with your brand intact

MediaNet offers a broad catalog of eBooks including the most popular titles available through major physical and online book sellers. Offered in the popular Adobe ePub and PDF formats, they are compatible with a wide variety of devices including PC, Mac, Sony Reader, and many others.

The eBook service is accessed through the MN Open API built on top of MediaNet’s enterprise class content delivery platform. To aid adoption and ease, a versatile and intelligent download manager simplifies the acquisition and management of eBooks for end users. As with music, MediaNet’s eBook customers will have access to a sophisticated real-time reporting portal to monitor sales activity.

McGlade added: “MediaNet is delivering the next generation of premium entertainment content services. Essentially we have become a “Content Concierge” that presents the appropriate content to an online user when they are predisposed to consuming it. MediaNet’s expansion into Canada and other territories will serve to further expand the marketplace and increase consumer acceptance.”

Customers can now sign up for the MN Open Web Components and API for free and have a premium content offering with fully customizable features up and running in no time.

Twitter announced earlier today that it has purchased Vancouver company Smallthought Systems, the powers behind Dabble DB and Trendly. A message on Dabble DB’s landing page about the sale of the company reads:

“Obviously this represents a new chapter in the life of Dabble DB, both for us as a team, and for the product itself. We’d like to assure you that, for now, we will continue to provide our software and technical support to current Dabble DB customers. However, we will be disabling new account signups effective immediately.

There will be further changes to Dabble’s ongoing operations, and when those happen, we want to do right by you. We will provide you with 60 days advance notice of any major change. We will do whatever we need to do to make sure that, at any time, you can export all of your data, including attachments, in a structured format suitable for import into other systems.”

Patrick Beaulieu, Animation Artistic Director at Ubisoft Quebec City, has launched his first 3D animation collection book Animation Insiders. A rich and complete work of knowledge sharing, this collection of testimonials gives a lot of tricks and hints as well as anecdotes from renowned animators at Dreamworks, Blue Sky and Pixar, to name a few. The book is now available worldwide on sstudiopress.

“Gathering all these people from all over the world and putting together all of these testimonials was a lot of work, says Patrick Beaulieu, but the result gives us a privileged vision on what is going on back stage in animation. Each collaborator had a clean slate to share his experiences, works, methodologies, philosophy, etc…. even if some aspects are more technical, Animation Insiders remains open to a wide audience, from the animation fan boy to the experienced animator. Everyone passionate about animation, movies and video games will find himself in this book, he will also find details and insides about his favorite animation movies or games” he adds.

You will find testimonials, visuals and illustrations from 13 renowned animators such as:

Jason Ryan (USA, Dreamworks, Shrek 4)
Andrew Gordon (USA, Pixar, Nemo)
Jason Martinsen (USA, Animation Mentor, Ice Age)
Jason Schleifer (USA, Dreamworks, LOTR)
Anthea Kerou (USA, Dreamworks, Bolt)
Victor Navone (USA, Pixar, The Incredibles)
Ana Maria Alvarado (USA, Sony Image Works, Spiderman)
Mike Nguyen (USA, Rainplace, Iron Giant)
Pedro Blumenbaum (Spain, Nocturna)
Pablo Navarro (Spain, Nocturna)
Emilio Ghorayeb (Canada, New Breed VFX, Madagascar)
Matt Stangio (USA, Pixar, Toys Story 3)
Reno Armanet (France, Tigobo Animation)

The schedule for the GameSauce Conference has been posted to the web. This conference takes place on July 19th, immediately prior to Casual Connect Seattle (July 20 -22). Registration is $100.00 USD or is free to those registered for the Casual Connect Seattle conference. There are some great topics, panels and roundtable discussions on the slate, so plan to be in Seattle one day early in order to take advantage of this event. Along with the great topics being offered through the GameSauce Game Development Track, the following areas may also be of interest to you, and like me, you will need a clone in order to take it all in.

The Leadership & Professional Development Track, produced in partnership by Women In Games International, Women In Games Vancouver and Women In Games IGDA offers some great panels and roundtable discussions about career building and talent nurturing.

If game audio is your thing, The Audio Track, produced by Game Audio Alliance, has much to offer, and the Nvidia Tegra Mobile Game Development Track, which is making its debut at this year’s GameSauce Conference is a must for those looking for opportunities in the mobile market. The Alternative Funding and Exit Strategies Track, produced by The Corum Group is a four hour crash course discussing the positives and negatives of funding as well as what to do with your company once you are successful.

iPhone developer Matt Rix has released his first title in the iTunes App Store. Trainyard is a challenging puzzler that requires the safe movement of coloured blocks (trains) from one station to the next. Each of the 100 puzzles ramps up in difficulty, adding colour and track-changing blocks into the mix while you try to draw tracks from one locale to the next, hopefully avoiding train pile-ups. There are no set solutions to the puzzles, so you are free to try as many options as you like. Trainyard also includes bonus levels as well as the ability to share solutions that worked for you on the game’s web site. Trainyard is available now for only $1.99.

Disney Interactive Studios today announced Club Penguin Game Day! is being developed exclusively for Wii. Scheduled for release this September, Club Penguin Game Day! will mark the franchise’s video game console debut.

Based on the snow-covered virtual world that’s captivated millions around the globe, Club Penguin Game Day! will delve into the environment, characters and storylines of the online playground of Kelowna-based Club Penguin like never before. The game will include innovative ways to connect with Club Penguin and new, interactive mini-games to challenge and engage the whole family.

“Club Penguin has always maintained a really strong emphasis on social, family fun and the value of working together,” said Lane Merrifield, co-founder of Club Penguin and executive vice president of Disney Online Studios. “Moving onto the Wii platform lets us offer parents a great opportunity to connect with their kids in the comfort of their own living room around an active game that’s participatory, cooperative and a lot of fun for everyone, and that’s something we’re really excited about.”

In Club Penguin Game Day!, players create and customize a penguin and compete in a variety of single or multiplayer sports-themed racing and performance events such as Java Sack, Fast Freeze, Sled & Slide and Sumo Smash. Each time players beat a challenge, they conquer a zone on the island. The ultimate goal is for players to work with their team and conquer as much territory as possible.

Club Penguin Game Day! will be the third video game in the franchise, following the recent release of Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force: Herbert’s Revenge for Nintendo DS™. The highly anticipated sequel to the original DS game, Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force, which was released in 2008 and sold more than 1.5 million units worldwide, introduced intriguing new missions and mysteries for Elite Penguin Force agents.

“As the Club Penguin phenomenon continues to grow, it makes sense to bring the brand to Wii,” said Craig Relyea, senior vice president of global marketing, Disney Interactive Studios.“ Club Penguin Game Day! combines the distinct look and feel of the Club Penguin virtual world with competitive games that are easy to pick up and play using the Wii Remote.”

Club Penguin Game Day! will allow players to transfer their customized penguins via their Wii Remote™ to a friend’s Wii for use in gameplay. Once back on the original console, high scores, coins and customization items earned will merge with the player’s profile.

As with the two DS games, players can also upload coins earned in game to Club Penguin, but the new game will take the elements of online-offline connectivity even further by also allowing players to synchronize their in-game penguins and achievements with their online penguin accounts. Club Penguin Game Day! is Rated E for Everyone by the ESRB.

Tungle Corp. has been named the official scheduling application of BlogWorld & New Media Expo, taking place October 14-16, 2010 in Las Vegas. The company also announced the release of its free WordPress and TypePad plug-ins for calendar publishing and integrated scheduling. The free Tungle.me TypePad widget can be found by logging into your Tungle account and clicking on Management, then Widget.

“I’ve saved a ton of time scheduling meetings since discovering Tungle.me,” said Scott Stratten, President of Un-Marketing and opening keynote speaker at BlogWorld 2010. “I’m psyched that I can add the Tungle.me plug in and publish my availability directly through my site, and accept or reject meeting requests without a time-wasting email exchange.”

WordPress and TypePad users with a Tungle.me account can now add the Tungle.me widget to their blogs. The widget embeds a mini Tungle.me page into the user’s blog or website, allowing visitors to click-to-expand and see availability, suggest times to meet, and send a meeting request—without leaving the site.

“With over 350,000 posts daily and 250 million plus blog visitors monthly; corporate and personal blogs are at the heart of business communication,” stated Marc Gingras, CEO and founder of Tungle. “The Tungle.me widget closes the asynchronous communication gap between bloggers and their audience to make meetings happen. Now bloggers can share their availability and book meetings, right alongside their Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social widgets.”

As part of its initiative to support bloggers, Tungle has formed a partnership with BlogWorld. Through this partnership, conference attendees, speakers and exhibitors can select a personalized Tungle.me URL upon registration for the event. They can then customize their Tungle.me page and synchronize it with online calendars. Attendees can also choose to be added to the BlogWorld group in the Tungle.me directory, making it easier for them to schedule meetings with other attendees.

“At BlogWorld, it is as much about who you meet and the connections you make as it is about the content,” said Rick Calvert, CEO at BlogWorld & New Media Expo. “By partnering with Tungle, we are able to offer our attendees better service, enabling them to easily schedule meetings with each other onsite, as well as before and after the show.”

Score Media Inc., home of The Score Television Network, theScore.com, Hardcore Sports Radio and ScoreMobile today announces the launch of ScoreMobile FC, a free, comprehensive source of information for world football fans around the globe.

Building on the success of ScoreMobile, the leading sports app in BlackBerry App World™ worldwide and one of the leading apps in Apple’s App Store – and also recently launched for Android – ScoreMobile FC offers soccer fans:

- Live scores, stats and standings for more than 30 international soccer leagues from over 15 countries worldwide, growing to over 50 leagues by the kick-off of the 2010/2011 season
– Original video content such as The Score’s popular The Footy Show, multiplatform programming dedicated to covering all of the latest isoccer news and highlights
– Interactive live blogs for every key game
– Breaking news, top stories and game odds

The Score’s original sports app, ScoreMobile, is the ultimate resource for the hardcore sports fan, providing fast and easy access to in-depth sports information for all major sports leagues. Recently named a “Top 10 Sports App” in Beckett Media’s Guide to Phone Apps and a “Top 20 free BlackBerry App” by PC Magazine since its initial launch in June 2009, ScoreMobile has quickly become the industry leader with more than 1.3 million monthly unique visitors and counting.

“The Score is a revolutionary sports media company who believes in technological innovation,” says Dale Fallon, Director, Mobile, Score Media Inc. “One of our key strategies is to invest in and promote mobile media and we know that the portability of content is extremely important to consumers worldwide. Sports fans have proven the worth of ScoreMobile by downloading it, using it and spreading the word. Now we’re taking that to the next level by releasing an app for dedicated soccer fans – just in time for the most incredible sporting event of the year, the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.”

While most people have intuitive reactions to Web sites, a group of Canadian scientists is developing software that can actually measure those emotions and more. Aude Dufresne, a professor at the Université de Montréal Department of Communications, led a team of researchers that are designing a new software to evaluate the biological responses of Internet users.
Simply put, the new software measures everything in Web users from body heat to eye movements to facial expressions and analyzes how they relate to online activities. The technology is now being tested at the newly opened Bell User Experience Centre, which is located at the telecom giant’s Nun’s Island campus. Bell will use the Université de Montréal technology to investigate how people react to Web sites. Such studies will provide companies with facts on how they can improve online experiences.

“With e-commerce and the multiplication of retail Web sites, it has become crucial for companies to consider the emotions of Web users,” says Professor Dufresne. “Our software is the first designed to measure emotions at conscious and preconscious levels, which will give companies a better sense of the likes and dislikes of Web users.”

This research was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and Bell Canada.

Kiboomu Kids Inc. announced today that “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” Preschool Storybook Piano iPhone App is now available on the iTunes store. Developed by a preschool teacher and platinum award-winning children’s singer/songwriter, The Preschool Storybook Piano App is a singing piano storybook that educates and entertains young children. Music is a valuable learning tool that encourages children to communicate, connect, discover and express themselves.

To celebrate the launch of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star ” Preschool Storybook Piano App, Kiboomu is hosting a contest to give away 200 copies of its’ iPhone app. It is open to everyone with a US or Canadian iTunes account. The contest begins at 9:00 AM PST, on June 10st 2010 and ends at midnight PST on June 11th 2010. All you have to do is go to Kiboomu online and enter your email address and location.

Preschool Storybook Piano’s simple-to-use interface allows children to:

* Watch the story unfold and hear the song being sung
* Press the start button and sing along
* Record and hear their own voice
* Select 7 different types of instruments and learn about the sounds they create
* Add animal sounds to the song
* Watch the piano keys light up one-by-one with the melody
* Follow the lighted piano keys to play the song
* Match the colorful music notes to the piano keys and play along
* Sing and read karaoke-style lyrics in English, French and Spanish
* Include their parents as they sing and read together
* Increase their vocabulary and language awareness
* Improve their auditory comprehension and listening skills

Now, parents with an iPhone will be able to provide their child with a learning tool that keeps them occupied and entertained.

“Juggling work and family life is hard,” said Sherry Segal and Wendy Wiseman, the owners and Co-Presidents of Kiboomu Kids Inc. “We created an iPhone app that keeps children entertained and learning while parents go about their busy day. It fills the child’s day with laughter, increases their little vocabularies and expands their growing minds in a fun and inviting way. Parents have just got to love that!”

Through the Kiboomu Kids Foundation, a portion of all sales will go towards feeding kids. “To come to the aid of children in need is our passion and what motivates us,” said Segal and Wiseman. “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” Preschool Storybook Piano App is $0.99 cents (USD) and available June 10, 2010 worldwide, exclusively through the App Store, the Educational and Games (Kids) category.

Applied Recognition announces the release of Fotobounce™ version 3.0, offering users the most secure way to share photos with friends and family members. With the release of v3.0, Fotobounce alleviates the concerns most users have about sharing their digital photos via a public website. These new features complement the unique people-centric photo management capabilities of version 2.0. Fotobounce also employs advanced face recognition technology to speed up the tagging of photos.

Fotobounce 3.0 enhancements include:

- Easy direct sharing of photos with friends and family: Create a peer network with any friends or family members that are running Fotobounce. Invite a friend to join the network as a fellow “Bouncer.” Once the invitation is accepted, a “Bouncer” can browse any photos marked as “public.”

- See whether friends are online or offline similar to Skype™: Friends that are online will show up clearly on the “Bouncer” list. Connect to those friends and browse photos by People, Events, Places, Keywords, and Collections.

- Invitations go by email, along with sample photos: Send an invitation email and attach “teaser” photos so friends and family members see a sample of the photos available for browsing.

- Full control over privacy: Of course security and privacy of data is a major concern as demonstrated by the recent uproar over default privacy settings and complexity. Fotobounce provides complete control over every album and what specific friends can see those albums. All transmissions of photos and associated data are encrypted with 128-bit SSL. Rest assured that no one can view any photos unless authorized.

- All photo tagging comes along with transferred photos: When viewing a photo on a friend’s (“bouncer”) system, one can see all associated info tags and people tags. If that photo is copied to the local Fotobounce library these tags also copy with the photos.

Lotusland Studios has released an update to Truck Modz on Apple iPhone™ and Apple iPod touch®. In case you didn’t know, Truck Modz is an interactive 3D truck-building game for kids of all ages. The premise is simple: build, paint and hit the road with your very own truck! This game goes beyond any other mix-and-match title by allowing you to build your ideal vehicle from a huge collection of fronts, backs, and wheels, and then being able to interact with your creation: from snow plows to squeaky toys, everything is animated. Everything is triggered by a touch or a swipe, simple enough for everyone to get addicted!

In this updated version, audiences of all ages will enjoy even more mix-and-match fun with the introduction of a new cab to the collection, as well as an animated Easter-themed surprise.
Truck Modz is essentially an entire pocketful of toy trucks: creative, non-aggressive play is the emphasis of the game, and the user interface is wordless and simple enough for a child of 18 months to understand, while adults will enjoy the CB banter, cool sirens and endless combination of trucks.

Truck Modz Update Highlights:

* Totally intuitive, easy enough for a toddler to enjoy
* Mix and match parts at any time, the combos are endless!
* Cruise down the highway through an endless ever-changing landscape
* Listen to hilarious trucker banter on the CB radio!
* Shake device to check out your ride from 4 different camera angles
* Rocking soundtrack by Billy Joe Huel

Now in its fourth successful year, the Toronto Pinball and Gameroom Show remains the only show of its kind in Canada. Aimed at both enthusiasts and the general public, the show features pinball machines, classic arcade video games, console game systems, home theatre, jukeboxes, slot machines, soda machines, billiard tables, shuffleboards, Pachinko games, vintage 1950′s diner memorabilia and other coin operated and home Gameroom equipment and antiques.

Machines, games and accessories will be available for sale to collectors, hobbyists, restorers and gamers looking for that certain cool piece of gear for their gameroom. The show also offers free play on over 100 pinball, classic arcade and other games. Even if buying a game is not in the cards, guests can still get the best deal in town playing all day or all weekend for one low entry fee.

Although pinball machines aren’t easy to find these days, they continue to hold their iconic status in pop culture and have maintained popularity with game fans both young and old. “There’s no way to truly simulate the analog experience of flipping a ball on a computer or video game” says Nick Angel, organizer of the event. “Pinball has always been the anchor attraction of the show and this year’s venue will be jam packed with more games from the past and present than all of our previous shows combined”.

An exciting addition to this year’s lineup is the brand new IRON MAN™ pinball machine from Stern Pinball based on the just-released Hollywood blockbuster movie, on display and available for play at the show.

The show will also feature the Toronto Pinball Championship tournament with over $2000 in prizes, an arcade game auction on Sunday that will offer the best bargains of the weekend, and door prizes and raffles for gameroom gear. In addition, the show will feature educational seminars with topics on repairing your first pinball machine, pinball & arcade game history, and restoration techniques.

Admission at the door is $15.00 for adults and $5.00 for children under 12 per day. Under 3 is free. Special weekend pass $20. Show hours are Saturday 10am to 10pm, Sunday 10am – 6pm. Parking at the International Centre is free.

Despite almost two years of intense economic downturn, findings from a cross-country survey reveal a strong entrepreneurial spirit among Canadians ready to venture out on their own. The survey, conducted for Intuit Inc., maker of QuickBooks, showed one-in-three Canadians is interested in starting their own business in the next two years – and 35 per cent of this group said they are likely to follow through on their plans. Further, almost one-quarter (22 per cent) of those planning to start a small business said the recession had not deflated their plans and may have actually emboldened them to forge ahead.

What’s driving these Canadians? Mainly, it comes down to control and independence. When asked about the greatest drivers, Canadians who were interested in “going it alone” said having control over their own destiny (52 per cent) is the top motivator. These Canadians are also motivated by not having to work for someone else (41 per cent), and 37 per cent believe when it comes to cash, starting a small business is the key to making more of it.

“Much of Canada’s economic might comes from its small business backbone and, despite a market characterized by uncertainty, it’s encouraging to see such gritty, entrepreneurial determination among the Canadian population,” said Gene Lewis, country manager for Intuit Canada. “The road to economic recovery is expected to be long and hard, and this study shows that Canadian tenacity will be a key motivating factor in the turnaround.”

Being the boss requires well-rounded business know-how, and the Intuit study showed Canadians believe they have what it takes. Nearly two-thirds (65 per cent) of those likely to start a business believe it’s easy to come up with a successful business idea and more than half (55 per cent) are confident they can market it.

Respondents were also confident in their ability to take on almost all aspects of day-to-day activities themselves, including:

- Hiring the right staff – 94 per cent
– Client service – 85 per cent
– Finding investors – 68 per cent
– Promoting the business – 56 per cent

Entrepreneurial confidence apparently ends when it comes to managing business finances. Seven-in-ten Canadians who are likely to start a small business believe sorting through taxes and financing requirements would be a difficult part of running a business. And 58 per cent would rather have someone else handle important accounting tasks, such as payroll, invoicing, and taxes.

“Canadians clearly believe they have the chops to build a successful business and the hesitation around accounting is nothing new,” said Lewis. “Whether you’re an entrepreneurial novice or consider yourself a seasoned small business pro, your finances are the lifeblood of your business. Understanding how everything works is crucial. Having the right financial tools can dramatically simplify this important piece of the puzzle and put the control back in the hands of the small business owner.”

While entrepreneurism among Canadians is healthy, the Intuit study simultaneously revealed why some won’t take the plunge into small business. Reasons for holding back included:

- Lack of money – 46 per cent
– Too difficult to obtain a loan – 68 per cent
– Lack of support network – 58 per cent

“Having a network of trusted advisors is critical to small business success,” said Lewis. “This is the main motivation for Intuit’s creation of online communities where entrepreneurs interact with and get valuable support from others.”

Canadians have clearly expressed disdain for bookkeeping and taxes and the introduction of the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) on July 1, 2010 isn’t likely to make things any easier in Ontario and British Columbia.

The majority of Ontario and BC residents believe the HST will hinder small business, as more than three-quarters (81 per cent) of respondents said the new tax will make consumers more price conscious, and three-in-four (75 per cent) believe that will lead to spending cutbacks. An additional 68 per cent say more information is needed to assess its full impact, which suggests that, as the deadline looms, many Canadians are in the dark on this significant change to how businesses operate.

“Residents of Ontario and British Columbia have stated that HST is a problem for them, and for anyone considering a new venture, now is the time to act,” added Lewis. “Financial management shouldn’t scare away budding entrepreneurs,” said Lewis. “Software such as QuickBooks can help them manage money. And for those who are still concerned, we recommend they talk to an accountant. Simply put, running a small business is often the realization of a dream and taxes should never slow anyone down.”

The Canadian eLearning Enterprise Alliance (CeLEA) completed their Annual General Meeting on March 26th, 2010 with a renewed focus and a new leadership face to drive initiatives for the 2010-2011 fiscal year.

After six years of leading CeLEA to new organizational benchmarks, Barry Nicolle decided to step down as chairman to focus his energy on specific industry initiatives. He will continue to serve on the board as the Secretary-Treasurer for the coming year. The board and voting members enthusiastically supported the nomination of industry stalwart Claude Martel as the organization’s new Chairman.

As Barry Nicolle reaffirmed “Claude is one of the founders of CeLEA and has always been a strong advocate for the Canadian eLearning industry. I am extremely pleased that he will be leading CeLEA in the coming year and I look forward to working with all of the board members to make 2010 a landmark year for CeLEA”. Claude Martel has held several senior management positions in learning and brings over 25 years of industry experience in the domains of education, training, and eLearning. Moreover, he has been an active member of CeLEA for all eight years of the organization’s existence.

Claude Martel graciously accepted the support of the board and the membership to take over the CeLEA reins during such an exciting time in the industry. “It is with pleasure that I accept to become the Chairman of CeLEA. It is a wonderful time to make the promotion of online technologies in education and training as we are at a crossroad in its development and implementation. CeLEA plays a key role to support the industry and the community of course designers, so they can have a better understanding of the benefits and application of these educational technologies during this time of rapid commercial innovation.”

In addition to the new chairman elect, Robert Martellaci was elected as the new Vice-Chairman. He and the other board members are in the process of completing the planning phase of a series of exciting new initiatives that will be launched in mid-May 2010. More information on these initiatives can be found on the CeLEA website in the upcoming weeks.

This year’s list of Canada’s Greenest Employers was announced this morning by the editors of the Canada’s Top 100 Employers project. Fifty organizations across Canada were recognized on this year’s list.

There’s another fun gaming-related mixer coming up in Vancouver – check out the Olympic Gaming Mixer, which will be taking place on the evening of Friday, May 7, 2010 at the Century Restaurant and Bar on Richards. Check out the event’s FaceBook page for the list of challenges to be had at the Olympic Gaming Mixer.

Don’t forget to buy your tickets for the ACM SIGGRAPH Vancouver presentation of Designing Assassin’s Creed II featuring Lead Game Designer Patrick Plourde from Ubisoft Montreal, which is generously sponsored in part by AnnexPro and 3vis. He will discuss the challenges faced by the dev team: an enormous scope, one of the biggest development teams ever assembled and a limited time frame. This talk is about sharing our best practices to ship high quality games through a focused and rigorous Design Process while maximizing the output of production. Tickets for this May 18th event at the VanCity Theatre are only $15.00 for SIGGRAPH members and $20.00 for non-members. Annual SIGGRAPH membership is only 35.00 – and gets you special pricing at all of our great chapter events. You should join today.

DigiBC has put out a call for speakers for its Vancouver Digital Week 2010 event which takes place May 25-28 at the Vancouver Convention Centre. Please see their site for more details.

Interactive Ontario is pleased to welcome back Alexander Manu to give a keynote presentation at INPlay 2010. Manu, who delivered a keynote address at Interactive Ontario’s iSummit in 2006, is a strategic innovation practitioner, international lecturer and author. For over 20 years Alexander has enabled global companies as diverse as Motorola, LEGO, Whirlpool, Nokia, Navteq and Unilever, to develop policies and strategies that address emerging issues through strategic foresight and pre-competitive business models.

Goldtooth Creative has once again shown their video magic – check out the Cover Reveal trailer for EA Sports’ Madden NFL 11, developed by Florida’s Tiburon Studio. Goldtooth’s incredibly talented teams have produced trailers and cinematics for many of today’s top titles. Need a production team for your project? We recommend them.

BC indie developer Krabbitsoft Studio has released new features and specs for their RPG Krabbit World Origins. Featuring some very unique creatures, Krabbit World Origins has a very strong player community, and allows for single or multi-player modes. This is a game we’re going to be taking a look at in the coming weeks – look for it to be featured in our review section later in May 2010.

Banff World Television Festival has just released a call for entrants for the nextMEDIA Digital Hot List. This is a competition open to developers, content producers, and digital superstars. This is your chance to showcase your new, innovative digital property and grab the attention of advertisers who are looking for exciting brand integration opportunities. There are four available categories for entry:

*  Media (Does your website stand out amongst the rest?)
* Talent (Are you a proven online superstar with millions of followers?)
* Content Proposal (Got the best new idea for online content and branded entertainment?)
* Technologies (Are you creating the coolest apps, games and digital ad solutions?)

This contest closes on May 3rd, so if you’re interested in entering, you’d better get a move on!

New children’s mobile application studio Googly was delighted to find its first app, Alphabets in the Zoo featured yesterday in iTunes’ New and Noteworthy section, and amazed to see it reach number one on the education list.

Alphabets in The Zoo features a charming new animated alphabet song and story to help children learn their letters as they look, listen, and sing-a-long. Children’s understanding of the alphabet is taught and reinforced as they enjoy Saad Rashid’s colorful animation, listen to the Fauzia Abbasi’s delightful lyrics, and enjoy Dave Klotz’s catchy tune. Googly plans to release an iPad version of Alphabets in The Zoo shortly, and three more original children’s apps in the next 30 days.

Montreal publisher Strategy First has announced the release of Two Time Aggie award winner Dark Fall: Lost Souls and World Basketball Manager 2010 on Steam. The world’s leading platform for the digital distribution of PC games with over 25 million users world wide will offer a 10% discount on both games from April 21 – 28, 2010.

“We are excited to bring these two great titles to 25 million Steam users” says Strategy First Director Emanuel Wall, “We are proud to offer a two time Aggie Award winner, and the first PC Game from Greece to be published on Steam.”

Dark Fall: Lost Souls is the Aggie Award winner for Best First-Person PC Adventure game, and winner of Best Sound Design. Dark Fall: Lost Souls is a horror adventure game penned by the ‘Lost Crown’ author Jonathan Boakes. The new game engine allows full exploration and movement, letting the player physically interact with the eerie setting and really ‘feel’ the place while using light as your weapon and ally to fight the darkness.

Localized in several languages, World Basketball Manager 2010 allows gamers to take charge and manage basketball teams from all around the world. Gamers have access to over 11,000 basketball players on over 900 teams, and 1,300 managers from nearly 200 countries. Easy to learn and play, WBM 2010 has 95 tournaments to enter with Real Time Matches wth pre-season training centres and Manager Actions which allow for such activities as team promotions to player transfers.

Toronto – Tungle has introduced its Tungle.me software for IBM’s Lotus Notes at the Lotusphere Comes to You conference in Toronto. The application will be introduced and demonstrated on stage today by Tungle CEO Marc Gingras and IBM Software Group Director of Messaging, Ed Brill.

“Tungle for Lotus Notes helped me streamline the maintenance of free time across multiple calendars inside and outside of my company. It helped reduce emails and scheduling conflicts,” said Chris Miller, Director, Connectria, a provider of customized IT services to name brand clients globally. Miller was part of a group who tested a beta version of the software.

Tungle.me makes it easy for people to schedule meetings across organizations, calendar systems and time zones by eliminating costly double bookings and the endless back and forth of finding a time to meet. The addition of Lotus Notes means that Tungle now works with all major business- and consumer-oriented electronic calendar environments, including Lotus Notes, Microsoft Outlook, Google Calendar, Apple iCal, Entourage, and is also available on the iPhone and Blackberry.

“With the introduction of Tungle.me for Lotus Notes, many millions of additional business people around the world can spend more time being productive and less time playing scheduling ping-pong,” said Tungle CEO Marc Gingras.

IBM Lotus Notes collaboration software is available for the full spectrum of proliferating mobile and Web-connected devices such as the Apple iPhone, BlackBerry and Nokia Symbian smartphones, thin clients, laptops and desktops used to access corporate applications and business processes. Lotus Notes is available in a cloud-based version, and also comes bundled with hardware and other offerings via its Lotus Foundations line for mid-sized businesses.

Toronto – WinMagic® Inc. has opened an eStore so that customers can instantly purchase and download standalone SecureDoc products for Microsoft Windows or Mac OS X for $99, a 10 Pack for $945 or a 25 Pack for $2320 as well as a one, two or three year maintenance service packs.

SecureDoc also supports and manages hardware-encrypted disk drives including self-encrypting drives conforming to the Opal standard put forward by the Trusted Computing Group in January 2009, in addition to Seagate® Momentus® FDE drives and encrypted thumb drives from vendors like Ironkey, Sandisk, Kingston, MXI, etc. This provides the flexibility to deploy any combination of hardware and software-based encryption – or transition between the two – with full transparency for users and a consistent management interface for administrators.

Additionally, SecureDoc now supports Intel® Anti-Theft Technology, which is available in select systems with the new 2010 Intel® Core™ processor family. Intel AT acts as a laptop theft deterrence mechanism – enabling organizations to issue a “poison pill” to stolen laptops whether or not they are connected to the internet. When a protected notebook is reported as lost or stolen, Intel AT can remotely disable the computing platform and perform a data-disable function. SecureDoc seamlessly adds full-disk encryption and encryption management to Intel® AT – ensuring data cannot be accessed in the time it takes to report the loss and disable the laptop even if the hard drive is removed and installed on another computer.

Vancouver – Telefilm Canada is pleased to announce that it will present the Show Canada 2010 Closing Gala this evening. This year’s edition of the largest film industry convention in Canada is currently under way in Vancouver. Telefilm Canada, a partner in the success of Canadian cinema, is presenting the Closing Gala to celebrate the country’s film industry and its creators. Well-known Canadian comedian Brent Butt will be host for the evening.

“Show Canada is an important gathering for the Canadian film industry and Telefilm Canada is proud to support this event by presenting the Closing Gala,” said Sheila de La Varende, Director of National and International Business Development, Telefilm Canada. “On top of keeping participants busy with plenty of film screenings, seminars and an awards ceremony, the convention, organized by the Show Canada Committee, provides participants with a venue to discuss major industry issues like social marketing and multi-platform distribution. The Show Canada programme, designed to meet the needs of the Canadian film industry, attracted between 400 and 450 professionals, including studio heads, distributors and movie theatre operators from across the country. The closing ceremony will be the perfect ending to this exceptional event,” she concluded.

Those attending the Closing Gala presented by Telefilm Canada will have the opportunity to preview films scheduled for release this year. Successful 2009 productions, including a number of films that benefited from Telefilm Canada’s support, will be highlighted during the evening.

Quickly emerging as one of Canada’s newest technology companies to watch, Blitware Technologies Inc., is pleased to announce the achievement of a milestone for its popular driver update software, Driver Fetch. In March 2010, over 2 million computer users installed the utility software program, setting a new record for the company, and forging the course for future Blitware products.

Incorporated in late 2008, Blitware is a young software company that has produced four utility software applications since its inception. It’s flagship product, PC Medkit, was launched in the consumer market to help computer users clean, repair, and optimize their PCs while their File Helper software application enables computer users to find and open previously inaccessible files that they had downloaded. Though the company’s other software applications enjoyed strong consumer uptake, Driver Fetch is gaining the attention of the general computing population and experts alike. Designed to assist users in identifying and installing the drivers necessary to run hardware and peripheral devices, Driver Fetch is popular amongst those who expect the best in computer performance as well as those who install new hardware and peripherals. The program’s ability to detect and access drivers even when a computer is not online or cannot access the Internet is unique in the industry and has gained the program significant praise from technology experts.

Riding the success of the Driver Fetch milestone achievement, Blitware is now taking the time to build its online community. Appointing an Online Community Liaison, Blitware is reaching out to its current and future customers through Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Flickr in an effort to make their corporate presence known and reach out to those computer users who need assistance with updating drivers, opening files, and optimizing their PCs. Blitware is hard at work on their newest product that promises to be another winner in the utility software sphere and is expected to be released in Summer 2010.

Presagis™ has announced the availability of Terra Vista 6.1.1 with support for OneSAF Terrain Format version 8.0 (OTF-8). This new release provides users with the ability to generate highly detailed and correlated OTF-compliant databases for OneSAF Objective System (OOS) version 4.0 runtime environments.

“With this release of Terra Vista, Presagis continues to deliver on its commitment of supporting key industry standards and to provide our customers with the features and functions they require to create correlated semi-automated forces databases,” said Chris Henderson, Vice President and Product Segment Lead for Visualization & Content Creation Products at Presagis. “Our customers can now create OTF-8 compliant databases using a product that provides the highest level of correlation in more formats than any other terrain generation tool in the industry”.

New to the OTF-8 format is the ability to build OTF databases that are smaller than a GeoTile and contain non-contiguous areas. Terra Vista users will benefit from increased flexibility and time-savings with the new OTF-8 format which enable users to create detailed terrain databases in all pages of a GeoTile when building an OTF database.

Terra Vista also offers users a wide range of methods for implementing Ultra High Resolution Buildings (UHRB) into their OTF-8 database. Users can import geospecific UHRBs modeled from the Creator Building Interior Wizard, or use models generated from other applications, to accurately construct and populate OTF databases with realistic, complex, and accurate Ultra High Resolution Buildings in the OneSAF Objective System.

eBay is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the launch of eBay.ca and a decade of connecting millions of buyers and sellers across the country, helping them to explore opportunities in the world of online commerce. eBay Canada marks the milestone with the induction of Canadians into the eBay Canada Hall of Fame, the launch of a charity auction to benefit Free The Children and awarding prizing worth $5,000 to contest winners. These celebration activities will recognize and reward the more than 11-million Canadians who have benefited from eBay in special and often unique ways over the last 10 years, during which time Canadians have bought more than $7-billion on eBay.ca, leading to a decade of success that would not have been possible without its millions of passionate community members.

“In just 10 years eBay.ca has become an important enabler of small businesses in Canada and the premier online shopping destination for Canadian consumers,” said Andrea Stairs, country manager of eBay Canada. “From a modest start in 2000, eBay.ca has grown tremendously and now helps millions of Canadians to buy and sell online with ease.”

Over the last decade eBay Canada has supported numerous causes and Canadian charities. For its tenth anniversary celebration, eBay.ca will auction off a number of high-profile items where members will have a chance to bid on once-in-a-lifetime experiences benefiting Free The Children. To date, Free The Children has built more than 500 schools, bringing the fundamental right of education to over 50,000 children every day. The auction is live, with a large array of notable experiences up for grabs.

And in the totally cool robots department, The Aeryon Scout, a small man-packable flying robotic system, manufactured by Aeryon Labs of Waterloo, gave law enforcement officers the break they needed in a recent drug bust in Central America. This small, lightweight mini-helicopter that is remote-controlled from the ground by computer was able to provide visual surveillance of a suspected narcotic trafficker’s compound deep in the jungle. The Scout provides the features of larger unmanned aerial systems (UASs) in a small package, at a fraction of the cost.

“This might sound like a plot from a TV show like CSI or 24, but it’s a real-life application of our robotic technology,” said Dave Kroetsch, President of Aeryon Labs. “This is what the Scout was designed for: providing aerial intelligence in settings too challenging or dangerous for humans to venture into.”

Kroetsch said the law enforcement officers took the Aeryon Scout into the jungle, in hostile territory, under the cover of darkness. At first light they cleared a small launch area, took the Scout out of its suitcase-sized case, and snapped it together. Measuring only 80 cm by 80 cm when assembled and weighing just over a kilogram, the Scout was easy to transport. They then set the robot’s target by selecting the location of the drug compound using a touch-screen satellite-map interface on a portable computer tablet. The target location was approximately 1 km from the operator. For security reasons the actual date and location of the operation cannot be publicized.

The Scout, which can quietly travel as far as three kilometres from the operator’s location and up to 500 metres off the ground, is ideal for this type of beyond line-of-sight surveillance as the officers did not need to see the unit to control it. Once at the target location, the Scout’s motion-compensated camera took digital still images and streamed encrypted digital video in real-time to the operator’s computer, with no risk to the investigating officers.

The images enabled the enforcement team to determine the interior layout of the compound, establish what vehicles were inside, identify possible escape routes, and assess what security measures were in place. Most importantly they were able to see a gap in the wire surrounding the compound that was then used as the entry point for the raid. The successful bust resulted in the arrest of the drug gang members. Before the use of the Aeryon Scout, law enforcement officers would typically drive an armoured vehicle through the wall of the compound and face unknown circumstances on the other side.

The drug bust is just one of the scenarios where the Aeryon Scout is useful to police and similar agencies. Easily carried in a backpack, the Aeryon Scout assists with documenting accident scenes, following fleeing suspects, and aiding in search and rescue operations in day or night, especially beyond line-of-sight of the operator. Military units can use it to scope out areas with dangerous or rugged terrain. There are also industrial applications such as inspecting the exterior of buildings or gathering air samples from exhausts and smokestacks.

“The Scout’s low noise, radar, visual and heat signatures make it an ideal platform for covert tactical imagery collection. You can set it up in a couple of minutes out of its case, fly the mission, and be gone without ever alerting the target. And if you can play a simple video game, you can fly the Scout,” said Charles Barlow, President Zariba Security Corporation and former Canadian intelligence officer.

Aeryon Labs designed the Scout system to be easy enough for even non-technical people to use with minimal training. Its on-board computer system supervises all aspects of the mission, allowing the operator to focus on completing a task.

“We’re excited to have developed robotic technology which is practical and affordable for law enforcement, military and security forces, and can save lives. And that’s priceless,” said Kroetsch.

Vancouver

In Dawn of War II: Chaos Rising you will take command of the Blood Ravens and defend the sector against the Chaos Space Marines of the Black Legion. Purge the chaos filth and hold the chapter together as traitorous forces work from within to try bring down the Blood Ravens.

* New Single Player Missions – Continue your fight against the enemies of the Emperor and use your squads’ wargear, abilities, and experience to battle Chaos in 15 new missions
* New environment and Multiplayer Maps – New ice planet graphics set will increase the visual diversity and adds 7 new PVP maps
* Aspire to Glory – Build your existing squads up to level 30 and unlock even more devastating abilities
* Chaos Corruption Mechanic – New single player mechanic allows you to equip incredibly powerful equipment that corrupts your squad and will guide the story towards or away from the corrupting influence of Chaos
* New Multiplayer Race – Swear loyalty to the Chaos Gods and play as the bloodthirsty Chaos Space Marines in multiplayer battles against both Chaos Rising and Dawn of War II owners
* New Units – New units for the Space Marines, Ork, Eldar, and Tyranid armies in multiplayer.
* 2 New Last Stand Heroes – Face off against the relentless horde as either the Chaos Sorceror or Tyranid Hive Tyrant

Victoria – Nominations are now open for the 2010 VIATec Awards. Nominations close at 4:30pm on Friday March 19th. Recognizing technology companies in the Greater Victoria (BC) area, there are several award categories open:

* Technology Company of the Year
* Emerging Technology Company of the Year
* Product of the Year
* Innovative Excellence
* Online Strategy of the Year
* Executive of the Year
* Employee/Team of the Year
* The Colin Lennox Award for Technology Champion
* Environmental Excellence
* VIATeC Member of the Year
* Member’s Choice for Service Provider of the Year
* Employer of the Year Award

The VIATeC Awards Gala will be held on May 13th at the Victoria Conference Centre.

Montreal – Emmy® Award-winning Toon Boom Animation Inc. today announced the upcoming release of Toon Boom Animate 2, a new version that provides professional animators with more power and flexibility for creating traditional, digital, cut-out and Flash-style animation. Toon Boom has listened to the animation community and is now delivering a new Animate version that reflects its requests. Animate is totally dedicated to animators and takes care of their needs from start to finish of their animation projects.

New feature highlights include:

• Fast distribution of character parts to layers
• Easy adjustment of velocity on multiple character parts
• Efficient creation of richer-looking ambiance
• Full-fledged SWF export with effects
• Direct import of scanned drawings (TWAIN)
• Convenient text capability

Key benefits
Whether preferring traditional or digital methods, animators will greatly benefit from Animate 2‘s superior feature set throughout their entire production process.

All-in-one Animation Software
From start to finish, Toon Boom Animate enables you to draw or import scanned drawings, colour, animate, synchronize sound, set camera moves, apply effects and render your projects in the leading output formats. No need to jump between multiple applications to make revisions as with Animate, changes can be implemented in real-time at any time during the production process.

Smart Puppet
Toon Boom Animate brings together the most advanced Flash animation feature set available on the market, all embedded in a flexible environment; symbols, pegs, morphing, hierarchy-based rigging, forward and inverse kinematics as well as advanced lip-sync to name just a few. In addition to its Flash shortcut set, Animate fits so nicely into your friendly circle of Adobe® products and animation techniques that you will feel at home in minutes.

Colour Tune
Toon Boom Animate shines when it comes to colouring and creating animation with a unique look and feel. Animate’s smart Colour ID system, palette management, painting tools using vector, gradient and texture translate into significant time-savings. At any point, changing character colours and fine-tuning colour ambiance is faster than filling up your coffee cup!

True Space
Toon Boom Animate comes with a powerful camera tool that enables you to animate it over time and attach it to an object, creating an impressive depth effect. Flying through your scene adjusting speed in real-time makes you want to dive in your own animated world and enjoy the ride.

Pricing and Availability
Buy Toon Boom Animate 2 now at the special pre-launch price of $549.99 US, valid until March 21, 2010. As of March 8, 2010, all new clients will receive a Toon Boom Animate 1 product code. Their Animate 2 product code will be automatically registered and emailed to them upon product release enabling them to download the software. All new clients will see their Animate 2 purchase listed on the “my products” page once the transaction is completed. All orders requiring shipping will be processed upon product release.

Vancouver – The Olympics are over. Countries are counting their gold, silver and bronze medals. One Olympian is even counting his self-awarded platinum. But the real winner? Technology. From mobile apps to summer tech camps, technology is changing the Vancouver landscape. iD Tech Camps, a Silcon Valley-based youth education company, is opening its doors at UBC this summer.

Smart phone equipped and very well-connected, this year’s Olympic viewer didn’t feel the need to be glued to the TV. Visitors to Vancouver could be seen physically attending the Super G with feet planted in the snow, while simultaneously watching curling from their mobile devices. Even Olympians participated in the social media phenomenon by Tweeting and posting timely updates to Facebook. The 2010 Olympic Games have been dubbed by many the “Social Games.” And for good reason. NBC recently released data showing there were 87 million total mobile page views (coming from NBC’s website and iTunes App) for the Vancouver Games, compared to 52 million views for the Beijing Games.

The propensity toward social media and technology blended with the excitement surrounding Shaun White’s Double McTwist and the stunning victory by the Canadian Hockey Team has caught the eye of people and business new to Vancouver.

“Our young students learn to make video games, they learn to program in C++ or Java, they learn to make iPhone Apps and websites,” said Pete Ingram-Cauchi, CEO of iD Tech Camps. “Vancouver is a great spot for our program. The buzz around the Olympics, the great university system, and the youthful, tech savvy population seem like a compelling match for us.”

“It’s no surprise that the more often kids use iPhone apps and other tech products, the more they think ‘This is pretty cool…how does this work?’,” said Mr. Ingram Cauchi. No stranger to kids and technology, the camp, whose presence is well known in the States, is offering tech courses at the University of British Columbia, and also hosts a Visual Arts Academy at McGill University in Montreal.

With the way things are trending, maybe the next hot new Olympic sport attracting the younger generation will blend both technology and sports. Speed texting, anyone? And now there’s even a summer camp for that.

Established in 1999 in Silicon Valley, iD Tech Camps is family-owned and operated, offering technology courses including Video Game Design, 3D Game Modding, Maya®, Game Development, Programming in C++ and Java, Programming iPhone® Apps, Robotics, Web Design, Flash® Animation, Graphic Arts, Digital Photography and Video Editing. The summer camps consist of week-long day camps and sleep away camps, and multi-week teen academies. Courses are appropriate for beginner to advanced learners. The company teaches the latest technologies from Apple®, Adobe®, Microsoft®, Autodesk®, Sony®, Valve® and more.

Toronto – Fresh TV Inc., the award-winning family entertainment company is excited to announce the simultaneous launch of their first interactive character twitter account – penned by Fin McCloud of the hit animated series Stoked – and their blog, Re:Fresh. In response to fan demand, Fresh TV will launch Fin’s twitter account on the heels of the March 4 Canadian premiere of new episodes of Stoked on TELETOON and will promote the second season premiere in September 2010. With an increasing worldwide audience for Stoked, the twitter account will give fans around the world the opportunity to interact with their favourite animated character.

Fresh TV’s Stoked follows six teens from across Canada who travel to Sunset Island, B.C. for a summer of sun, sea, sand and, most importantly, surf. Working at a luxury resort they find that their plans for an endless summer of surfing might not be all that they hoped when, instead of a surfer’s paradise, they find a tacky tourist resort with rude guests, a run-down staff house and itchy, hideous uniforms. The series airs on TELETOON on Thursdays at 7 pm ET/PT as part of TELETOON’s 3 Hours of Really, Really, Really Awesome.

“We are totally excited to start bringing our characters off the page and into the real world,” said Tom McGillis, Executive Producer, Fresh TV. “Fin has a strong voice and is wildly independent so we’re curious to see where she takes it. Fans, brace yourselves!”

In the coming weeks, Fresh TV will launch a second character Twitter account to continue building an online community. Fans can learn about Stoked and other Fresh TV programming by surfing Fresh TV’s blog, Re:Fresh. The multifaceted, interactive site will give fans the unique opportunity to engage with the creative minds behind such popular series as Stoked, 6teen and Total Drama and new shows coming from Fresh such as their first live action feature, My Babysitter’s a Vampire. From exclusive artwork to weekly entries from the executive producers, viewers will get the ultimate Fresh TV experience.

Vancouver – Lotusland Studios is pleased to announce the release of ‘Truck Modz Build And Drive‘, the interactive 3D truck-building game for kids of all ages!

The premise is simple: build, paint and hit the road with your very own trucks! Truck Modz goes beyond other mix-and-match apps by allowing you to build your ideal vehicle from a huge collection of fronts, backs, and wheels, and then being able to interact with your creation – drive it down the highway and play with your parts – from snow plows to squeaky toys, everything is animated. Everything is triggered by a touch or a swipe – simple enough for even the littlest drivers!

The iPhone and iPod touch are intuitive durable devices that will be many kids first computers. Truck Modz is a an entire pocketful of toy trucks for these computers. Creative, nonaggressive play is the emphasis of the game. The user interface is wordless and simple enough for a child of 18 months to learn. Adults may also enjoy the CB banter, cool sirens and endless combinations of Trucks.

Feature Highlights

· Totally intuitive – easy enough for a toddler to enjoy
· Mix and match parts at any time – the combos are endless!
· Cruise down the highway through an endless ever-changing landscape
· Listen to hilarious trucker banter on the CB radio!
· Shake device to check out your ride from 4 different camera angles
· Rocking soundtrack by Billy Joe Huel

Banff – Just a reminder that the Banff World Television Festival is approaching, and more than 1,500 delegates from 30 countries, the Banff World Television Festival is your chance to build partnerships with international development executives, co-producers, funders, TV and interactive producers, advertising agencies and brands.

Stay ahead of your competition and make global contacts with deal-makers who are actively commissioning new shows, supporting co-productions, and supporting game-changing properties with ad dollars. BANFF is your path to decision makers from nearly every key company in the industry.

Commissioning Editors are already confirmed from industry heavyweights such as Fox, Canwest, Disney, CTV, ABC, A&E, BBC, CBS, MTV and TBS, with many more to come.

Attending Ad Agencies include Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Proximity, Trapeze, Tribal DDB, Dashboard, PHD, 58Ninety and Starcom MediaVest Group, to name a few.

To get a sneak peek at the contacts and connections you will network with at the world’s leading event for Production and Development, check out the Look Who’s Coming section of their website.

Vancouver

“Our mission at EA Partners is to work with the best talent across the game industry, and we are thrilled to extend our expertise to the leading creative developers in downloadable indie games,” said Jamil Moledina, Outreach Director, Business Development at EA Partners. “The team at Klei Entertainment is among the best in the world at developing fun and engaging titles for digital distribution platforms, and Shank is an amazing experience.”

“As an independent development studio, we always focus on creating great, authentic experiences for players. Working with EA Partners expands our distribution and allows us to bring Shank to a much wider audience,” said Jamie Cheng, CEO of Klei Entertainment. “They have been a fantastic partner and their understanding of the space is incredibly exciting.”

Taking place in a stylized, modern-Western setting, Shank tells a classic betrayal story directed through a sophisticated cinematic lens, with addictive action gameplay found in classic 2D side-scrolling games.

EA’s second announced deal today is another exclusive publishing deal, this time with Hothead Games and their newest title DeathSpank, which will be coming to Xbox LIVE® Arcade and PlayStation®Network in 2010. Developed under the vision of The Secret of Monkey Island creator and industry icon Ron Gilbert, DeathSpank blends a story filled with Gilbert’s unique humor and wit with classic and addictive action RPG gameplay.

“The team at Hothead Games is a perfect fit for EA Partners. They are a great example of how the EA Partners program continues to emphasize the importance of building strong relationships with the world’s top indie developers,” said Jamil Moledina, Outreach Director, Business Development at EA Partners. “DeathSpank is an engrossingly fun and hysterically funny experience, and we are all excited to have the opportunity to help introduce DeathSpank to gamers across the world.”

Ian Wilkinson, CEO of Hothead Games added, “We are proud of our independence, but are very excited to be working with EA Partners on a title as big as DeathSpank. With EA Partners handling distribution and marketing, Hothead can continue to focus on what we do best, making great games.”

The game casts players in the role of DeathSpank, the Hero to the Downtrodden, a Vanquisher of Evil and Defender of Justice as he fulfills his life-long destiny and searches for a mysterious and magical item only known as “The Artifact”. Along the way he’ll rescue a few Orphans, defeat a local tyrant and tumble headlong into the even deeper mystery surrounding the legendary Thongs of Virtue in an epic adventure game that includes collecting loot, crazy puzzle solving, witty dialogue, collecting loot, over-the-top animations, fun, accessible action combat, and of course, collecting loot.

Hothead Games was also awarded a 2009  Editor’s Choice Award from MacWorld for bringing Jonathan Blow’s Braid (the time-bending Independent Games Festival winner) to the growing audience on the Mac.

“We’re honored to receive an award from a prestigious magazine like Macworld,” said Joel DeYoung, Hothead’s director of game technology and producer on the project. “It is part of our core purpose at Hothead to support indie development and meet the needs and desires of gamers around the world, regardless of platform. We’re excited to see others support our efforts and we will continue to lead in indie game collaboration in 2010 and beyond.”

Aylmer – Ratrod Studio Inc., with the collaboration of pro skateboarder Mike Vallely is proud to present this highly anticipated title Mike V: Do or Die. This skateboard video game is now available worldwide for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The game is rated 4+ (for everyone) and can be purchased now on the Apple App Store.

Mike V: Do or Die focuses on Mike’s path, passions and career. It will feature an overview of his evolution as an individual and his lifelong accomplishments in the history of skateboarding. Players start from the legendary ‘Bones Brigade’ Powell-Peralta era and can improve their skills while gaining experience to unlock exclusive game content including a selection of over one hundred items to choose from. They can customize their character, board, wheels and car.

The game features stunning next generation 3D graphics using the multi-touch capabilities of the iPhone or iPod Touch to simulate an authentic skateboarding experience by using a cutting edge control system to execute over 40 unique tricks ranging from different styles. The players are even able to select their stance and adjust their trucks to fit their riding style.

“This game was built by skateboarders sharing a passion for the sport and targeting skateboard fans from all around the world. We have been working hard to push the limits of what can be done on the iPhone and to deliver a unique and realistic skateboard experience on this mobile platform which can be often very challenging.” Says Pat Toulouse, Executive Producer and President of Ratrod Studio Inc.

Starting off with the basics then learning some new tricks as you play, tricks range from old school impossible to grinds, slides, grabs, plants and manuals. Mike V: Do or Die includes 7 adrenaline-packed skate locations including a Skate Park, Vert Ramp, Warehouse, Roof Tops, Movie Studio, Ditch and a Mall, the game also includes a Free Ride driving mode featuring a massive open city for players to explore.

The game features top brands and affiliates including Element, Powell-Peralta, Von Zipper, Bones, Active Rideshop, Affliction, Powell, FUEL TV and Ferret Music on top of a diversified sound track that includes multiple songs from Revolution Mother’s newest album “Rollin’ with tha Mutha”. Players are also able to use their own iPhone music library.

From skateboard legend to rock star and movie actor, Mike Vallely is known as a pioneer and innovator in the skateboarding world. Discovered by Stacy Peralta (Z-Boys) and Lance Mountain in the 80s, Mike became the first east coast street skater to emerge on the scene and became an overnight sensation. Mike is also the vocalist for the band, Revolution Mother, and is the host of his own TV show called DRIVE on FUEL TV. Recognized and idolized by skateboard enthusiasts around the world, Mike has long been featured in the Tony Hawk video game series published by Activision including their latest, RIDE.

Mike V: Do or Die is now available for the iPhone and iPod Touch and can be purchased on the Apple App Store. Ratrod Studio Inc is also planning to bring this exciting new title on the console platforms in the near future.

The game has already been recognized world-wide and nominated at the 2010 International Mobile Gaming Awards for Excellence in Design. This category is for games with an exceptional attention to visual quality.

OTTAWA – Playbrains, an independent game development studio, has announced their upcoming mobile gaming debut with Babo Crash, a fast-paced action puzzler built for iPhone, iPad and Android platforms. Babo Crash starts out simple with familiar gem-swapping match-3 gameplay, rewarding players who create bigger matches – but it ramps up the intensity one level at a time, adding hero characters with special abilities, real-time enemy combat, destructive powerups, chain reactions and evolving objectives.

Rotating the device shifts gravity, adding a strategic element to gameplay. Additionally, tilting the device controls a hero’s special power s, emphasizing tactics and rewarding fast reflexes. Once players guide a bomb to its detonation zone, they’ll instantly clear the stage and enter Overtime, a frantic bonus round where they can rack up huge scores through combo chains and multipliers.

BaboCrash brings frenetic match-three action with tons of genre-bending features:

• Addictive, high tempo match-three puzzle action
• Gorgeous graphics with over-the-top special effects
• Strategically rotate your device to control collapses
• Unleash heroic abilities to destroy tons of gems at once
• Combo/multiplier system – the faster you match, the higher you score
• 21 levels to ramp up the madness
• Leaderboards and Achievements via OpenFeint

Babo Crash is coming to the App Store in March 2010 for $0.99.

Edmonton – Bioware has released another creature bio for the upcoming Dragon Age: Origins expansion chapter, Awakening. Today’s feature creature are The Disciples, a branch of the darkspawn who “are organized despite the death of the archdemon, following the lead of unknown commanders. No civilized person can say where these darkspawn commanders come from, but they think, speak, and act with purpose, which makes them dangerous indeed.”

The Disciples join the ranks of villainous new creatures along with The Children and the Queen of the Blackmarsh. I predict much death for my Dragon Age characters in the future. Dragon Age Origins: Awakening is scheduled for release on Tuesday March 16th and is available for pre-order at video game stores everywhere. The Dragon Age franchise is rated Mature by the ESRB.

Halifax – DHX Media Ltd. has launched its Living Stories storybook apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch by DHX Interactive, DHX Media’s digital and interactive media divison. These animated storybooks will bring new and classic children’s tales to life, with titles to date including King Midas, The Tortoise and the Hare, and the Hans Christian Anderson classic The Princess and the Pea. All three Living Stories apps are available on the iTunes App Store for $1.99.

Anne Loi, Senior VP Finance and Operations of DHX Media said: “This is an ideal marriage of DHX’s production expertise in animation, illustration and storytelling, and our interactive division’s expertise in developing content specifically tailored to these devices. The Living Stories app titles are perfect for kids and parents.”

The Living Stories apps are easy-to-use for kids, allowing preschoolers to read along on their own. Users can read along with full English language audio narration that is accompanied by beautiful illustrations developed specifically for iPhone screens. DHX Media’s Living Stories apps also permit readers to record their own narration, adding their voice to the book to play back again and again.

Toronto – Open Text Corporation, Canada’s largest software company and a global leader in enterprise content management, today announced it will spend $225 million over the next five years on product innovations and related job creation at its Waterloo, Richmond Hill and Ottawa locations. At a press conference this morning, Ontario Minister of Economic Development and Trade Sandra Pupatello unveiled a $33.75 million contribution to Open Text’s initiative from the province’s Next Generation of Jobs Fund.

“As a proudly Canadian company, we’re pleased to announce this investment in a long-term growth strategy for our operations in Ontario,” said John Shackleton, President and Chief Executive Officer of Open Text. “One of the drivers for this investment is the digital media sector which offers opportunity for growth and innovation. The provincial government’s support of this initiative is an investment in Ontario’s long-term prosperity and we’re pleased to collaborate in this effort.”

Open Text’s plans will include almost 400 job opportunities at the company’s Ontario offices in Waterloo, Richmond Hill and Ottawa. Innovations driven by new Research and Development (R&D) efforts in green computing, mobile applications and high-performance systems will help Open Text continue its successful track record in the growing ECM market which is expected to have a valuation of $9.3 billion globally by 2014 (Content Management Market Shares Strategies and Forecasts 2008 to 2014 – Winter Green Research).

“This is a strategic investment that anchors Open Text’s operations in the province and furthers Ontario’s reputation as a leader in digital media and information and communications technology. We’re proud to support Open Text’s latest investment that creates high-value jobs for Ontario families,” said Minister Pupatello.

The Open Text announcement was made by Tom Jenkins, Executive Chairman and Chief Strategy Officer at Open Text, who has been a champion for digital media and a proponent of advancing Canada’s digital economy through increased talent, technology and creative investment. Open Text’s investment will not only benefit technology innovation and employment, but will also benefit the environment given digital storage reduces or eliminates wasteful printing and storage requirements.

“Our government knows that going forward, the jobs and skills of tomorrow will be different than yesterday’s. Supporting innovative companies like Open Text is part of our government’s plan to create a knowledge economy that future generations can build on – and rely on,” said John Milloy, Ontario’s Minister of Research and Innovation and MPP for Kitchener-Centre.

Toronto – Get Involved and q media solutions are pleased to announce the launch of DigitalU – the first television/webshorts to examine how the internet and social media is changing the world around us. DigitalU is an eight-part series that looks at transparency, crowdsourcing, privacy and security – with powerful examples that demonstrate how the internet is changing the way we live, work, play, consume and communicate.

DigitalU demystifies social media – from NASA crowdsourcing to map craters on Mars, or businesses like JetBlue twittering to improve the customer experience, DigitalU shows us how the speed and collaborative powers of the internet are transforming our lives. DigitalU covers everything from cautionary tales about the future and security of our personal information, to empowering stories about how the internet is fuelling change at a furious pace.

Every Friday, beginning March 5, at 8:50PM, TVO will premiere a new DigitalU short, featuring interviews with over 25 social media and experts including; Mitch Joel, Twist Image, author and pundit Don Tapscott, Jason Mogus, Communicopia, Meghan Warby, Argyle PR, Beka Economopoulos, Fission Strategy, Craig Heintzman, World Wide Web Foundation, Christopher Berry, Critical Mass, and Sacha Chua, IBM.

Additionally, beginning today, all eight DigitalU shorts will also be available on YouTube in full HD 1080p and audio versions will also be available on iTunes by mid-March.

“This series has been produced as a primer; a digital 101 of sorts,” says Dorothy Engelman, Executive producer, Digital U “With all the buzz about social media, we couldn’t find one series on television or the web that provided a big picture view of what’s spinning all around us. I personally feel overwhelmed by the speed of change and I worried I was out of the loop and missing opportunities. And so DigitalU is our attempt to help people wade through all the terminology, while giving them real world examples that bring the tools to life. We did over 25 interviews and so many great examples and wonderful stories ended up on the ‘cutting room floor’ and so we created 24 podcasts alongside the series for those that want a more in-depth look at what’s going on.”

Vancouver – When comic publisher and artist / writer Jason Thibault began combing the internet for a website that covered all aspects of the crime genre in the form of a pop culture magazine he came up empty. Enter Blunt Force Beating, a site dedicated to the coverage of crime films, novels, comics, television, documentaries and video games.

Says Thibault, “I couldn’t believe that no one had put together a site documenting all of the incredible work being done in the crime genre worldwide. Shows like The Wire, The Shield and Sons of Anarchy have already entered mainstream consciousness not to mention all of the high-quality crime graphic novels such as ‘The Hunter’ being produced in the comics industry right now. I knew something cool could be put together with the right group of people.”

Optimum Wound, a Vancouver-based boutique publisher specializing in dark crime and genre graphic novels,  already had experience both in building a popular online website for creators and publishing crime fiction. When faced with the task of building a new online magazine they enlisted the help of artist and long-time collaborator, Christopher Williams.

“I saw something magical in what Jason was putting forward. A highly-focused site for the crime market was a brilliant idea”, adds Williams. “I immediately got to work helping Optimum Wound organize a killer site. This is a passion project and everyone better hold on tight over the next few years as we build the definitive crime culture magazine. The aim is to make it the go-to source for the culture of bad people doing bad things and the vengeance that may or may not follow.”

“Blunt Force Beating” will review film, video and books both fiction and non-fiction that fall within the crime genre and its darker subgenres. As horror culture is already well documented online this site will be quite focused on the crime genre with few exceptions.

In addition to the North American market there will be a strong emphasis on covering international works. Christopher Williams and Optimum Wound co-owner Richard Serrao are already working closely together to produce a series of reviews and essays. In addition a small group of writers have been solicited to add more material to the site. With this new online crime magazine the internet just got a little more dangerous.

Vancouver

Colourful 3-D graphics, nature sounds and original music bring nature to life on screen where children can join Mr. and Mrs. Bunny as they visit their friends living in The Meadow. With the simple press of a key, your child can guide the animals through the beautiful meadow environment.

“Any parent can tell you that when they’re working on their computer, the little one will come along and want to sit on their lap and press buttons,” said Ken Kavanagh, developer of The Meadow and president of Clicktoy Interactive. “As every key has a function, children are free to interact with the computer without worry.”

With The Meadow, parents and children can explore this charming and peaceful place together, featuring:

* Four detailed scenes
* ClickSafe locks the keyboard, prevents your child from exiting the application
* Stunning graphics and immersion in a virtual nature-walk
* Make up your own stories and imagine together

Available on the PC since 2008 “The Meadow” is now available for the Mac OS. Offered in over 17 languages the game sells for $24.95 and is available now for the Mac or PC.  Village Gamer congratulates Ken Kavanagh and Clicktoy Interactive with this new release – and fully recommends “The Meadow” to anyone who has a toddler and/or pre-schooler in their family.

Vancouver – Vancouver Film School is pleased to present the $30,000 Women in Games Scholarship for the second straight year. This Scholarship covers the full tuition for a female aspiring game designer to attend VFS’s acclaimed one-year Game Design program, named by L.A. Times as a Top 10 school “favoured by industry recruiters”.

With International Women’s Day on March 8 highlighting the achievements of women and the need to create a more equal and rewarding future for girls, the announcement of the Women in Games scholarship is timely. In an industry traditionally dominated by men – around 90%, according to Game Developer Magazine’s 2009 Salary Survey – the scholarship was established as a concerted effort by VFS to encourage greater opportunities for females wishing to pursue Game Design as a career.

Last year, the inaugural scholarship was awarded to Shannon Lee of Toronto, who is just beginning her third term of six in the program at Vancouver Film School.

“The Game Design program at VFS has been a very rewarding and enjoyable experience thus far,” Lee says. “Applying for the scholarship was the best decision I’ve ever made and I’m sure that the next recipient will feel the same.”

Female VFS Game Design graduates have gone on to work successfully in the industry, including Tara Mustapha and Charmie Kim of Microsoft Game Studios, Pamela Livara of Vancouver’s Slant Six, and Melanie Genereux of Longtail Studios in PEI. Full details of this year’s Women in Games scholarship will be announced at the Game Design Expo 2010 being held in Vancouver on April 10-11, 2010.

Vancouver – Ninja Robot Dinosaur has announced its first game: The Ongoing Adventures of Ray Ardent: Science Ninja, an episodic 2D action-platformer where players run, jump, slide and dive their way through dangers that only a man who is a scientist and a ninja can survive.

Doctor Ray Ardent is a man of adventure, a man of the world, but most importantly, he is a man of Science. When the world is threatened by weird and mysterious threats too dangerous for traditional forces, Ray Ardent is the only man who can save the day.

Dr. Ardent charges into battle wearing his Science Gi, the most technologically advanced piece of clothing on the planet, and fights with the support of his elite squad of Science Scouts.

Edmonton – Bioware will be hosting a Dragon Age Awakening live demo and chat session this Friday (March 5) on Xfire at 5:oo P.M. PST. Viewers will be able to follow Lead Designer Ferret Baudoin as he plays through parts of Awakening. According to Bioware Community Co-ordinator Chris Priestly, ” this session will offer unique insight into  the level design and show off some of the new features found in the expansion. Following the live gameplay demo, there will be an interactive chat session where your questions about Awakening will be answered. “

There are also going to be some prizes handed out – 10 PC copies of Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening and 10 copies of the Dragon Age novel The Stolen Throne signed by author David Gaider. (I already have one of those – the copy I bought at our local Chapters outlet was signed – I didn’t even notice until I got home. Score!)

Toronto – Morningstar Entertainment is pleased to announce the signing of a multi-year distribution deal to represent Turbo Dogs in the U.S. DVD market. Produced in association with Scholastic Media by CCI Entertainment, Turbo Dogs is a children’s favorite on the 24-hour qubo network as well as the Saturday morning qubo block that airs on the NBC television network. The series also airs on the Ion TV and Telemundo networks. Based on the book Racer Dogs by award-winning illustrator Bob Kolar, Turbo Dogs brings the unique world of Racertown to life with rich animation and high octane storylines. Geared to kids 4-7 years of age, the show combines laughs, learning and the thrill of the open road.

“We are extremely excited to be ‘teaming up’ with Scholastic Media to maximize this very popular children’s brand in both the U.S. Scholastic’s reputation for quality kids’ content is unparalleled. The Dogs – Dash, Mags, GT, Strut, Stinkbert and Clutch are engine-revving additions to the Morningstar Home Entertainment Catalogue that we are thrilled to be providing to our customers.” said Blair Moody, Vice President of Sales and Development at Morningstar.

“We are thrilled that Turbo Dogs will be available on DVD. Turbo Dogs is a delightful story featuring the hilarious antics of a wacky dog-filled community wild about racing that also delivers valuable life lessons about friendship and fair play” said Leslye Schaefer, SVP Marketing and Consumer Products, Scholastic Media, which is a division of Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company.

During 2010 it is expected that 4-5 bilingual English and Spanish DVDs will be released, each DVD containing eight episodes with the first installment, “Racing With The Team”, due out June 01, 2010.

Toronto - VQ Mileage Tracker™, a new business app for BlackBerry® smartphones that automatically tracks business mileage has been officially launched. This new app will enable employees to save time while also increasing accuracy and accountability for employers and for people who are self-employed.

“VQ Mileage Tracker saves business people time and spares them the frustration and inefficiency of manually tracking their mileage”, says Harris Korn, president of Xpressions Inc., creators of VQ Mileage Tracker and VQ CarFinder. “Most existing mileage tracking apps are what we call ‘digital pencils’, in that they require you to manually key in everything”, adds Korn. “VQ Mileage Tracker does all of this for the user. It automatically notes the date and time, how far you drove, and the address you drove to every time you drive your car, then emails you all this information when you’re ready to submit an expense report”.

VQ Mileage Tracker uses the BlackBerry smartphone’s GPS along with in-vehicle Bluetooth® to automatically determine when the user starts and ends a drive. Owners of vehicles without built-in Bluetooth can use VQ Mileage Tracker in semi-automatic mode – they just click on the app when they start driving, then click the app again when they finish their drive. VQ Mileage Tracker does the rest.

When users want to prepare an expense report or travel log, they just start VQ Mileage Tracker and click “Generate Report”. A report is automatically emailed to them that lists the date, time, distance and end address for every time they drove.

“The business community’s response to VQ Mileage Tracker has been exceptional. Salespeople and Field Service staff see this as a great time saver. Management in Sales, Field Services and Finance see VQ Mileage Tracker as an efficient and cost effective tool to increase staff productivity and reporting accuracy. We’re also exploring Enterprise-level licensing opportunities for companies to distribute VQ Mileage Tracker to their staff as a productivity tool.”

A free trial of the full version of VQ Mileage Tracker is being offered as part of the launch of this time-saving app, along with introductory pricing of just $6.99 (regularly $14.99).

VQ Mileage Tracker is currently available on the VQ Mileage Tracker site as well as on BlackBerry App World™, CrackBerry®, GetJar®, Mobireach® and other leading online app stores. VQ Mileage Tracker works on all current model BlackBerry smartphones that have built-in GPS and run on 4.5 OS or higher.

Toronto – Canadians will soon be able to leave their wallets at home thanks to a wireless payment sticker trial launched by EnStream LP, Canada’s leading mobile commerce company. The Zoompass Tag™ is a wireless payment device designed in the form of a sticker that can be attached to a mobile phone. The Zoompass Tag ushers in the future of mobile payments by allowing consumers to tap their phones at checkout to make purchases at retail stores.

In 2009, EnStream launched the revolutionary Zoompass™ mobile application and began offering Canadians the first version of a mobile wallet. Available online and accessible on most mobile phones in Canada, Zoompass already allows users to send money quickly and securely to friends and family.

“The new Zoompass Tag goes even further by allowing Canadians to make their regular store purchases quickly and securely, using only their mobile phone.” said Robin Dua, President of EnStream LP. “All Zoompass users will soon be able to pay for their morning coffee, gas at the pump, and lunch at a fast-food restaurant with a quick tap of their mobile phone.”

By tapping a mobile phone with the Zoompass Tag on a contactless reader at the point-of-sale, payment is automatically drawn from the user’s Zoompass stored value account. Contactless payments remove the need for coins and cash, plus time spent waiting in lines and digging for change. Canadians can look forward to having exact change ready via their mobile phones whenever they need it.

Customer’s financial information is stored on secure servers, not on the mobile phone, so even if the phone is lost or stolen, the customer’s Zoompass account remains secure. Together, the Zoompass Tag and Zoompass application allow consumers to monitor their purchase transactions in real-time.

“Every transaction is logged in the Zoompass application and can be instantly seen on the mobile phone. This is very handy to track purchases and budgets in real-time,” added Dua.

The sleek and appealing sticker measures 43 mm by 33 mm and can be easily affixed to any mobile phone.

“This is the most advanced wireless payment sticker available in the Canadian market today. Our Convego(R) Air Mobile sticker is the only sticker of its kind with a flexible body and a unique shuttle distribution method. It is the only sticker being trialed by the leading Canadian wireless carriers for use on their mobile phones”, said Kim Madore, VP Emerging Technology and Market Development for Giesecke & Devrient, producer of the Zoompass Tag.

The Zoompass Tag can be used at most contactless payment ready locations. Leading retail merchants such as Tim Hortons, McDonalds, Petro Canada and Loblaws will accept payment through the Zoompass Tag as these merchants are rapidly adopting contactless payment terminals in an effort to offer convenience to consumers and save costs.

The trial is offered to select Zoompass clients and is expected to last up to 3 months. The pilot will allow EnStream to evaluate many aspects of the mobile payment experience and shape the way Canadians pay for goods and services in the future.

Toronto – Tax credits are increasingly important during this economic environment. MEUK Corporation, leaders in SR&ED (Scientific Research & Experimental Development) Tax Credit programs are presenting two must-attend featured sessions at IT360 Conference & Expo, April 7, 2010 in Toronto.

The morning session, “3 Steps to Simplifying Your Software Development Projects for Tax Credits,” is presented by David Sabina. To survive in any industry today, one’s business must be innovative and resourceful. Even the slightest improvements to products or processes could be vital to business survival. This course will focus on the SR&ED Tax Credit Program and Software Development eligibility.

“No matter how small one’s business is if there are eligible projects, these businesses may qualify. Attendees will become educated on the subject and learn about a new methodology to simplify the SR&ED process benefiting business models in a great way,” said David Sabina, Director, MEUK Corporation.

The afternoon session, “Advanced Issues – SR&ED Income Tax Cases – Analyzing what is Black vs. White vs. Grey,” is also presented by David Sabina and will illustrate how various technological and financial issues require the use of professional judgment. It will include an overview of recent SR&ED tax cases and related implications for claimants.

“SR&ED has taken a front seat in assisting organizations to significantly upgrade and develop their software development cycles to improve their company’s productivity and ROI. These programs will demystify criteria and access to these funds,” said Bruce Cole, Show Director, IT360 Conference & Expo.

Vancouver – Suite101.com Media Inc., a global content site that provides consumers with trusted and reliable information, announced it will be expanding its use of search engine optimization (SEO) to help its writers and editors build quality content online that is more apt to be found by search results. Suite101 has hired writer and search strategist Aaron Bradley as SEO Director to implement the new tactics and strategies.

The newly created senior position will help the company’s writers and editors benefit from opportunities related to the growing role of search in the creation of articles for Suite101. As Director of SEO, Bradley will be responsible for educating editors about keywords and search terms, and help them to strategically tag stories submitted by Suite101.com’s growing writer base. Suite101 is known as a great source of SEO learning for writers. Bradley intends to expand on this by building better online tools for writers and creating advanced learning opportunities to help them succeed at SEO.

“Making sure well-written articles get found online involves continuous hard work and search engine knowledge,” said Peter Berger, CEO and President of Suite101.com Media Inc. “We know that in order to help our writers get their stories found, we need to increase our expertise in the area of search. Aaron is a respected expert in this area and he’s also a teacher. It’s a huge plus for writers to have an in-house expert resource who can share what they know with our writers and editors, while also making sure our sites are architecturally sound.”

“I look forward to working with the thousands of quality writers that make the Suite101 sites such an important resource for people, and so rightfully attractive to search engines,” said Bradley. “I’m committed to ensuring these great articles are made easy to find by search engines. In concert with this effort, I’m also committed to making sure Suite101 writers receive the maximum exposure and remuneration for their work.”

Bradley began his web-related career in 1995 as a librarian at the Canadian Forces Command and Staff College Library in Toronto, Ontario. Over the next decade Bradley worked as web designer, creating sites such as Infomine.com, an industry-leading mining information portal. In addition, Bradley held roles as Search Engine Marketing Manager at online entertainment site Bodoglife.com, and SEO Manager for online jewelry retail sites Diamond.com and Ice.com (Internet Top 500 Retailer). Bradley also is a regular contributor to the “In-House” SEO column for Search Engine Land. He also pens his own blog at SEO Skeptic, founded Montreal SEO Meetup group.

Vancouver – IUGO‘s fantastical and ridiculously fun dual stick shooter, Daisy Mae’s Alien Buffet is now available in the App Store for the introductory price of $1.99 USD.  Daisy Mae’s peaceful, simple life in her little desert trailer park will never be the same. A full scale alien attack on earth has begun and Daisy becomes the unlikely heroine outta nowhere. Take hold of the steering wheel and help Daisy Mae shoot and blast her way to victory in this fun and quirky dual stick shooter. Aliens: you have been served!

Features:

* More aliens than you can shake a stick at!
* The baddest selection of weapons known to folks ’round these here parts
* Purty graphics and fancy sounds effects
* Sassy costumes to unlock for Daisy Mae’s alien hoedown
* Daisy Mae “taunt” moves to kill the aliens dead in their tracks
* Control options to suit every varmint’s needs
* VIP points to be earned towards an additional costume
* Global leaderboards
* Auto save

Toronto – The Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC) proudly announces that it has invested $2.9 M in funding support through its Entertainment and Creative Cluster Partnerships Fund (PDF) to leverage an additional $7.1 M from 94 partners to support 17 innovative projects.

The Partnerships Fund was designed to help Ontario’s entertainment and creative industries invest in smart ways to grow and increase their competitive advantage in the global marketplace. The industries eligible for funding include book and magazine publishing, music, film, television, interactive digital media and commercial theatre.

The entire entertainment and creative cluster produces $15 billion in revenue and over 200,000 jobs, contributing $12.7 billion to the province’s GDP. These industries all experienced growth in 2009. Started in 2006, the Entertainment and Creative Cluster Partnerships Fund has provided $9.7 M in support to 60 projects involving 379 partners and leveraging $23 M.

Oakville – Sheridan College, a leader in digital media, has created the first ever real-time auto-stereoscopic 3D game that does not require 3D glasses. The game, called “IC3D”, is a showpiece at the Ontario House Pavilion at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games, and will be used to introduce some of Ontario’s most well-known tourist attractions to the world-wide audience in Vancouver.

Developed in collaboration with Toronto-based company Spatial View, the Sheridan IC3D Game is an interactive real-time application where players use BlackBerry® smartphones as game controllers to assemble puzzles featuring some of Ontario’s most popular tourist attractions.

Visitors to the Ontario House Pavilion will play the puzzle game featuring 20 of Ontario’s landmark attractions, displayed as ‘icicons’,* on 46” Spatial View auto-stereoscopic 3D screens. The pieces of each attraction, or ‘icicon’, appear scattered on a frozen 3D landscape. Up to five players work collaboratively to assemble the ‘icicons’, each using a BlackBerry smartphone. Once complete, a multimedia presentation of the attraction is displayed on each player’s device.

“The cutting edge technology of Sheridan’s 3D Game showcases our province’s tourism icons like never before. The world will see in a unique and innovative way that there truly is no place like Ontario to live, visit and invest,” said Michael Chan, Ontario’s Minister of Tourism and Culture.

“The project is a great example of how Sheridan’s expertise in applied research can seamlessly combine multiple disciplines as diverse as art and information technology. Sheridan’s long experience in digital media made collaborating with Spatial View on a 3D gaming and visualization project an ideal partnership,” said Jill Birch, Sheridan’s Vice President of Business Development. “This unique and innovative collaboration not only demonstrates the Province’s commitment to innovation in technology, but we think it has been a model for how technology companies and educational institutions with expertise in applied research can partner to create technological breakthroughs.”

“We are excited to be working on such an innovative project with one of North America’s premier Visual Design educational institutions,” says Beat Raemy, CEO of Spatial View. “The combination of Spatial View’s technology and Sheridan’s creative software development skills has resulted in a truly amazing glasses-free 3D experience.”

The Sheridan 3D Game was created by Sheridan’s Visualization Design Institute (VDI), an applied research unit with established expertise in the field of computer visualization and specializing in deploying game technologies in 3D environments. A team of students from the college’s Applied Computing and Engineering Sciences School worked with VDI staff to take this application from concept to finished product.

*Icicons is a term created by Sheridan’s Visualization Design Institute to refer to iconic images of popular tourist destinations and feature attractions in Ontario.

Montreal – Ekomini.com, the world’s first and only interactive web-enabled piggy bank that helps teach children about saving money, today officially launched across the United States after a very successful 2009 launch in Canada.

The Ekomini piggy bank and online financial game allows children ages six to 12 to play and learn about saving money through a dynamic next generation money box that connects to their computer via USB. Ekomini teaches children the fundamentals of spending, saving, sharing, and investing. The electronic piggy bank scans and counts money that is deposited so children can track how much money they have and use online tools to learn and plan how to budget. Ekomini has found a fun, interactive way to help kids build a strong financial foundation so this generation can break this costly cycle of financial illiteracy and grow up with budgeting and money management skills.

“We want to teach children at a young age the importance of saving and investing and let them have fun at the same time,” said Ekomini Founder Phillipe Racine. “Ekomini also emphasizes the importance of sharing by teaching kids to budget a portion of their savings for good causes.”

Ekomini piggy bank owners have unlimited access to EkominiVille, an interactive, educational web-based savings platform where children play games, track their savings and learn how to earn, set goals, spend, share and invest. Ekomini’s objective is to improve the financial literacy of the world’s youth and equip this generation of kids with financial skills as they grow into adulthood.

Toronto – Syncapse Corp., a global leader in social technology, announced the availability of SocialTALK, a software-based solution that improves workflow, enhances productivity and measures results for companies with social media programs that require posting materials on multiple online spaces.

According to a recent survey (Mzinga and Babson Executive Education, “Social Software in Business,” September 8, 2009) of professionals from various industries, 86 per cent have adopted some form of social media presence. At the same time, 84 per cent do not currently measure the return on investment of their social media programs.

“More and more companies are using social media to promote their businesses. Often, managing social media strategy can be a fragmented, all-consuming experience,” said Michael Scissons, President and CEO, Syncapse Corp. “SocialTALK simplifies the process of managing business presence on multiple social media platforms while keeping senior stakeholders informed. The measurement features turn social media presence into tangible results.”

SocialTALK helps companies control their online presence, reduce marketing and operational costs, and streamline the approval process among all departments. SocialTALK measures social media’s return on investment by providing real-time results that enable marketers to gain valuable insights into how conversations are shaping their brands.

SocialTALK currently operates on Facebook, Twitter, MoveableType.org and WordPress, with plans to expand platform offerings in the near future.

Richmond Hill – Dacris Software has just released the final version of Dacris Benchmarks 8.0, a popular computer benchmarking tool, allowing users to test the performance of their PCs. The main focus with version 8.0 has been to bring massive tangible benefits to end users while maintaining the simplicity that made Dacris Benchmarks 5.0 a stellar product.

New features in Dacris Benchmarks 8.0 include: multi-core CPU support, a new 3D game test built with XNA, CPU/RAM usage logging, and a unique new performance prediction algorithm known as System Grade. Also, Dacris Benchmarks 8.0 brings with it state-of-the-art rich reporting features based on XML, XSL, and WPF (XAML).  Dacris Benchmarks 8.0 runs on Windows XP SP2, Windows Vista SP1, and Windows 7, plus Windows Server 2003/2008. It does not require elevated privileges for any benchmark tests or system information. There is also a ZIP version available for download which can be run without installation, on machines on which the user may not have administrative privileges.

Vancouver

Truckmodz encourages cognitive development in younger children by strengthening motor skills and refining early learning exercises like sorting, matching and decision-making. The unstructured game play gives kids a feeling of control and independence, and parents can rest assured knowing that no points or time-limits make for a relaxed, no-pressure experience.

But let’s face it – driving a giant rubber ducky down the highway is just plain awesome. Players will be able to mod their little big rigs in their garage, where they do things like add a snow plow and a sweet new paint job. They can then kick back, crank up the tunes, and enjoy the scenery as their creations roll on down the highway.

Featuring:

* completely 3D environment and models
* vast amounts of colors and combinations
* tons of animated accessories including horns, sirens, headlights, exhaust pipes and much more
* ever-changing endless environment
* realistic sound effects
* CB radio
* drop down garage to customize and spray-paint your vehicles
* smoke and sparks
* four different camera angles – shake device to check out your ride from all sides
* awesome original soundtrack
* totally intuitive, fun for all ages

No launch date or expected price point information has been released, but we’ll be sure to let you know as soon as we know.

Toronto

Based on the Ontario kindergarten curriculum, Melvin’s Marvellous Words is teacher tested and developed in conjunction with TVO’s in-house educational specialist. Inspired by the popular TVOKids and tvokids.com game of the same name, the app is a fun and interactive word-matching game that helps preschoolers learn to read common, high-frequency words. Learning these words prepares preschoolers for reading, and makes them feel more confident as they begin to read.

“Parents will find that Melvin’s Marvellous Words is an effective educational tool for preschoolers who are always on the go,” says Patricia Ellingson, TVO’s creative head of Children’s Media Content and Programming. “It challenges young minds in an interactive and educational literacy game that makes learning fun.”

Now, for a limited time only, Melvin’s Marvellous Words is available free at the Apple App Store. The app will be on sale for $1.99 at the Apple App Store starting February 1.

Vancouver – Mingleverse Laboratories is offering Vancouver organizations free use of its award-winning 3D Audio Visual internet communication service for the entire duration of the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. The offer is being made in response to the call by Translink, the City of Vancouver and the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) for a massive reduction in vehicle trips in Vancouver during the games.

“The Mingleverse Mingle Room service is for everyone and is the first real alternative to travel. By providing organizations with our immersive communication service they will sound and interact just like being in the same room together,” said Ron Stevens, Co-Founder and CEO of Mingleverse. “Instead of clogging up the streets, and having staff delayed and frustrated, any Vancouver company or organization can use Mingleverse to work, collaborate and communicate as if they were physically together – for free – during the games.”

Translink, metro Vancouver’s regional transportation authority, made the call this week via a statement on their website, which reads in part: “Our public transit and road networks will experience a significant increase in traffic, and there will be road and parking restrictions close to Games venues, particularly in downtown Vancouver, and along key routes. Whether it’s changing travel choices to leave the car at home, shifting travel times to avoid peak periods or removing the need to travel altogether – it all helps get athletes and officials to their events, while reducing the number of vehicles on the road.”

In addition, Translink has initiated a voluntary “TravelSmart Olympic Pledge” program designed to provide a way for all Vancouver businesses and organizations to publicly demonstrate their commitment to traffic reductions during the games. To obtain a free Mingle Room, simply sign up for a Mingleverse account and mention Mingleverse in your organization’s pledge.

Several high profile organizations in Vancouver have already signed on to use Mingleverse during the games, including representatives of the Vancouver Board of Trade and The Telus World of Science.

“Science World will certainly be looking at using Mingle Rooms to help manage teams that will be working remotely during the Olympics. It could also help to coordinate some of our province-wide science programming,” said Bryan Tisdall, President & CEO. To further encourage Vancouver organizations to participate, Mingleverse pledges to provide the top 5 most active “teleworking” companies with a free virtual Mingle Room for a year.

“Mingles can replace the need for most physical meetings and live venues,” Stevens said. “We encourage businesses to make use of this technology, try something new and help make the logistics of the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Vancouver much more efficient, reducing traffic, emissions and frustration.”

Canada-wide – Mplayit, the company best known for its groundbreaking new social mobile app stores on the Facebook platform, today announced plans to bring their technology to major new international carrier partners. Mplayit has been available for Telefonica O2 customers in the United Kingdom since November 2009 and today the company announced new partnerships in Canada with Rogers and with Australian market-leader Telstra.

Mplayit has been helping major U.S. carriers like Sprint and AT&T and publishers, including EA offer playable discovery for mobile games and apps since late 2008. The new deals point to a broader trend in the carrier market. Traditionally, mobile operators have failed to properly exploit the power of the Web in merchandising their application catalogs to customers. The rapid growth in the social Web in the past two years has left many even further behind. Now, with the growth in smartphone penetration and increased competition from device manufacturers themselves, mobile operators are recognizing the need to improve mobile application discovery and provide their customers with the best experience possible. Mplayit is increasingly partnering with operators to help them achieve these goals.

“Carriers throughout the world are facing unprecedented competitive pressure in terms of both app downloads and customer mindshare,” said Michael Powers, founder and CEO of Mplayit. “We offer them a simple and cost effective way to plug into users’ social graphs, massively improve their service proposition and help drive additional app downloads like never before.”

Mplayit offers search and try-before-you-buy playable previews of popular mobile applications on leading mobile platforms and accessible from a standard Web or mobile browser. Users can rate, comment, and recommend individual apps to their social network including Facebook and Twitter. In addition, Mplayit’s unique ‘Apptivity’ feed gives users a view of the most played and recommended apps in real time adding a useful and entertaining element to regular lists or rankings.

In December 2009, Mplayit launched full support for Android, on top of it’s existing iPhone, mobile Java and BlackBerry services. With the launch of scores of new Android devices in 2010, its an aspect of the service that is proving particalarly appealing to carriers. It all adds up to a truly cross-platform solution for all the best-selling smartphone devices which offers mobile carriers the only one-stop mobile apps megastore for merchandising content.

“Integrating Mplayit’s ‘playable discovery’ experience with a mobile user’s social network is a powerful combination that drives valuable discovery and viral marketing opportunities in the face of skyrocketing numbers of mobile applications,” continued Mplayit’s Powers. “And because we support multiple platforms – mobile Java, Blackberry, iPhone and Android – we’re best placed to help carriers monetise their whole user base.”

With Word Searcher, a sharp eye and a quick mind will be needed to complete the 100 themed word search puzzles. Word Searcher contains fun words from multiple categories including anatomy, world cities and U.S Presidents. Packed with a huge assortment of subjects to choose from, there’s sure to be a puzzle anyone will enjoy. Help improve your vocabulary, memory and problem-solving skills with these addicting puzzles. Keep track of, and try to beat your own play through times again and again as words are scrambled every time you play.

Toronto – Parents are discovering the iPhone is a terrific platform for preschoolers because of its simple touch interface and its play anytime, anywhere convenience. But it’s hard to find high-quality, age-appropriate apps that are engaging and rewarding. With this in mind, zinc Roe created Tickle Tap Apps, a new app series developed by child gaming experts, vetted by educational researchers and tested by kids.

Tickle Tap Apps are designed to help children ages three to five practice key skills and learn about sounds, numbers, colors, patterns and shapes. These apps help children improve concentration and motor skills via simple tap and touch controls. This tactile element is what gives the iPhone an educational advantage over TV.

“Developmental research shows the iPhone is an excellent platform for preschool learning,” says Jason Krogh, zinc Roe’s founder and director. “Children need easy-to-use apps that take advantage of the unique features of the iPhone. Tickle Tap Apps address the need for simple, attractive and entertaining educational apps for this age range.”

Tickle Tap Apps feature four adorable characters—Jinja the cat, Harvey the dog, Robin the bird and Fins the fish—for humor and encouragement. The games, including the first three apps in the series below, inspire preschoolers to learn and laugh at the same time!

Sound Shaker is a delightful and hilarious sound-making game. Children create and play with chime, whistle, drum, barnyard animal and mystery sounds simply by tapping and tilting. Robin the bird makes a special guest appearance.

Count Caddy makes counting rewarding. Children count by ones with Jinja the cat and quickly progress to counting by twos with Robin the bird and counting by threes with Harvey the dog.

Sort Slider is a mesmerizing shape matching game. Children tilt the device to match objects with silhouettes while Harvey the dog pops up for plenty of encouragement.

Tickle Tap Apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch retail for $1.99 each on the iTunes App Store.

Ubisoft has also released more PC Games from their back-catalogue on GoG.com. The newly re-released titles include Heroes of Might and Magic® 2 Gold Edition, Heroes of Might and Magic® 3 Complete Edition, The Settlers® 2 Gold Edition and the stunning Might and Magic® 6 Limited Edition, which includes parts 1–6 of the landmark RPG series. All games are totally DRM-free, fully compatible with XP and Vista and accompanied by mounds of extras, including soundtracks, wallpapers, forum avatars, maps and much more.

SARF Studios has opened their studio’s new web site, which introduces their flagship product, an innovative, social virtual world named Planet SARF. Realizing the momentum, trends, and potentials related to environmental sustainability, Planet SARF has focused on creating an amusing and educational virtual experience based on the principles of Edutainment, educational entertainment as an effective learning tool.

Using highly detailed 3D imagery, players will be immersed in an open-ended, virtual adventure as they explore the beauty and mysticism of the Yucatan rainforests, Mexico. Players can choose a customizable character, which will be their Avatar in a virtual adventure that includes water rafting, diving, exploring, mini games, and learning.

Planet SARF will educate players about the flora and fauna as the players advance throughout the game. Informative pop-up windows will show specifics regarding the animal, plant, or geological characteristics encountered in the game. Research has found that not only are virtual worlds effective learning tools for children, they are also valuable opportunities for children to practice social and life skills.

Calgary

“Busy parents often find themselves juggling fussy babies and a long list of errands and there’s rarely enough time to pack a bunch of toys for the road,” said Tamara Rosenblum, principal and creative director of Mantaray Creative Labs. “Most people have their phone at their disposal regardless of where they are so with that in mind we developed iBabyBuddy to be a traveling playmate that never leaves your side,” she said.

Designed to work with both the iPhone and iPod Touch, iBabyBuddy entertains, stimulates and teaches through interaction and discovery. The first release includes three must-have themes: animals, musical instruments and whimsical toy sounds. Combined with a Shake-n-Change feature, iBabyBuddy guarantees an endless array of non-stop, educational fun…and an opportunity for Mom or Dad to take a quick break from being the constant entertainer.

New themes will be added regularly (free of charge) to ensure iBabyBuddy grows alongside its earliest fans. iBabyBuddy is available in the iTunes App Store for $1.99 usd.