Village Gamer

Vancouver – Panoramic Software Inc., a software development company, announces the launch of Panoramic Phone Genius. Comprised of three applications, Contacts Genius, Call Genius and Area Code Genius, together with a customizable Today Screen plug-in, Panoramic Phone Genius has been developed to give you all of the calling features a modern Smartphone should have while making the experience intuitive and easy.

Call Genius displays the location of the number calling you and allows you to set custom calling rules or to block unwanted callers. A Today Screen plug-in allows the user to quickly set their phone to different profiles.

Contacts Genius gives you the freedom to easily manage your Windows Mobile contacts with your finger tips.  Flip between two customizable favorite screens for quick access to your most frequently used contacts. An easy to use touch kinetic scroll menu allows you to find the person you are looking for in seconds. Check and sort your phone contacts call/SMS history with ease.
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Nitobi open sources Complete UI, its popular suite of Ajax-powered user interface components that significantly improve user experiences for any web application

Vancouver – Nitobi Inc. announces today that Complete UI–its popular suite of Ajax-powered user interface components–is now available for free. The open source version of Complete UI can be used without charge according to the General Public License (GPL), Version 3 license agreement. Complete UI, including client side JavaScript code as well as the server code for Classic ASP, PHP and Cold Fusion, is publicly available on Google Code and Git Hub. Complete UI is also available for download.

Complete UI is a suite of Ajax-powered components that significantly improve user experiences for any web application. Complete UI is designed to help developers build great user experiences on the web. Powered by Ajax, Complete UI off-the-shelf components save developers the time and effort of building their own UI interactions from scratch. Nitobi components have been popular with Ajax developers since Nitobi Grid and ComboBox first launched in 2005.

“Nitobi’s Complete UI is a powerful set of components,” said Michael Lekse, Vice President of Sales and Services at WebAssist.

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Toronto – Canadian viewers will have better access to Canadian programming on all media platforms following the creation of the Canada Media Fund (CMF), announced today by the Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages.

The CMF will be created as the Canadian Television Fund and the Canada New Media Fund are combined, reformed and rebranded through a renewed partnership with the industry. Its mandate will be to ensure the production of quality content and to make it available on multiple platforms.

The announcement was made on the set of Flashpoint. A television series that is broadcast on conventional television and is also available online, Flashpoint is one of the many Canadian scripted series that will benefit from this initiative. (editor’s note – this is good news to me – Flashpoint is one of my favourite shows).

Joining the Minister were Ivan Fecan of CTV, Chris Frank of Bell Video Group, Phil Lind of Rogers Communications, Pierre Karl Péladeau of Québécor/Vidéotron, Ken Stein of Shaw Communications, Mark Bishop and Matt Hornburg of marblemedia, and Tim Casgrain of CBC/Radio-Canada.

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Fans Unanimously Vote to Have Boxing Legends Share Cover Worldwide

Burnaby – Electronic Arts Inc. announced today that “The Greatest of All Time”, Muhammad Ali, and “Iron” Mike Tyson will share the cover of one of the most anticipated games of 2009, Fight Night Round 4. Fan voting on www.AliorTyson.com started in late December 2008 and the final results favored having both legends together on the cover. Fight Night Round 4 is being developed under the EA SPORTS™ brand by EA Canada in Vancouver, B.C. and will ship to retailers worldwide this summer.

Muhammad Ali, the most celebrated boxer of all time, was famous for his quick tongue and his even quicker hands that wore down his opponents fight after fight. Ali was the first fighter in history to win the undisputed heavyweight championship three times, and is highly revered for his contribution to the sport of boxing. Mike Tyson, a knock out legend, will join Ali on the cover. The youngest boxer ever to win a heavyweight championship, Tyson enthralled the world with his precision, power, and ability to put away his opponents in the first round. These two boxing icons finally come face to face in Fight Night Round 4.

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SEATTLE – The organizers of the PAX gaming festival today announced that this year’s “The PAX 10” independent games showcase is officially open for submissions. From now until May 9, independent developers seeking to participate can submit their original game creations for consideration online.

A panel of 50 industry experts, including Penny Arcade’s own Gabe and Tycho, will select the ten best submissions in terms of gameplay and overall “fun factor” for inclusion in The PAX 10. Winners will be announced in July and invited to show off their hard work in the PAX 2009 Exhibition Hall Sept. 4-6 at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center.

“We were absolutely amazed by the quality and diversity of games submitted in 2008,” said Robert Khoo of Penny Arcade. “I’m excited to see what the community of indie game devs have in store for us this year. Good luck to everyone!”

Ottawa – Singapore’s One Animation and Canada’s Amberwood Entertainment have signed a co-production deal for the animated preschool series Rob the Robot.

The 52 x 11 minute 3D series based on a set of Australian books follows the adventures of Rob and his friends as they explore the fantastical planets of the Robot Galaxy which are ripe with humour and fun. “We are delighted to be co-producing with One Animation.” says Chantal Ling, Executive Vice-President at Amberwood.

“They are extremely talented and will no doubt ensure that Rob the Robot is brought to life in an exciting way.”  Phillip Stamp, Executive Producer at One Animation stated, “Amberwood is a great studio with a history of producing many successful shows. We’re very pleased to share in the creative vision for Rob the Robot, and look forward to combining the extensive experience of both studios in bringing the series to an international audience.” Rob the Robot has been developed for and commissioned by Canada’s TV Ontario.  Both SRC and the Knowledge Network are also on board for the property which moves into production this spring.

Toronto – Growing a digital business during a recession and debating the future of New Media in Canada are among the themes that will be examined by industry leaders at this month’s digital media conference, IN: The Interactive Exchange (IN09), taking place March 17-19 in Toronto.

The multi-stream conference will open with a keynote presentation by Futurist Christian Crews, Principal, andSpace Labs. Crews helps clients create sustainable competitive advantage in highly uncertain environments. Prior to andSpace Labs, Crews was Director of Futures Strategy, Director of Growth Strategies, and Director of Corporate Strategy at Pitney Bowes Inc (NYC).

IN09 will feature two interactive debates on the future of interactive media in Canada with panels that include Richard Stursburg, executive vice-president English services for CBC, journalist and blogger, Ivor Tossell, and entrepreneur Jeremy Wright, CEO, B5 Media. As traditional broadcasters reel from the downturn in advertising revenue, the CRTC is re-visiting regulation of New Media – a sector that continues to grow despite the global recession. Discussion will touch upon new media broadcasting, net neutrality and strategies key to creating globally competitive companies in the digital media space.

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Banff – Emmy Award-winner René Balcer, co-creator and executive producer of  “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” and showrunner for the original “Law & Order” series, will join the Master Class series lineup for the 30th edition of the Banff World Television Festival (BANFF). BANFF takes place at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, Canada, June 7-10, 2009.

“We are thrilled to have René Balcer take the stage for the Master Class series,” commented Peter

Rene Balcer

Vamos, BANFF executive director. “René’s longevity in the television industry and success at leveraging a profitable series into a successful spin-off makes his attendance a valuable addition to this year’s program.”

Writer and producer René Balcer is a native of Montreal, Canada, and was a journalist and documentary filmmaker at Canada’s National Film Board prior to joining “Law & Order“ in its first season in 1990. He later became executive producer and head writer in 1996 and while under his leadership as showrunner, “Law & Order” won the Emmy for Best Drama Series in 1997.

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Vancouver – One of the original judges at the first Alcuin book design competition, Frank Newfeld, book designer, illustrator, art director, and former Vice President, Publishing at McClelland & Stewart, will share some of his thoughts on illustrated books, particularly those for the younger reader. This should be of special interest to fans of Newfeld’s illustrations for Alligator Pie (poems by Dennis Lee).

Copies of Mr. Newfeld’s recent memoir, Drawing on Type (The Porcupine’s Quill, 2008), will be available for purchase and signing.

Place: Fletcher Challenge Room, Simon Fraser University – Harbour Centre
2300 – 515 West Hastings St. Vancouver BC

Date: Thursday, April 2nd, 7:00 pm
Free event for members and non-members – Open to the Public. Space is limited.

RSVP at gdc.net

Montreal – Interactive entertainment company Ludia Inc. and Entertainment Rights have announced that Ludia will create video games based on publishing phenomenon and ultimate world traveler, Where’s Waldo?®. Through the exclusive multi-year deal, the pop culture icon will leap from the pages of his best-selling books to engaging new games for consoles, PC/Mac, iPhone and iPod touch—for the first time ever. The first in the game series, “Where’s Waldo?: The Fantastic Journey” is slated to launch across several major platforms later this year.

“Waldo is one of the most recognizable characters in the world, and his adventurous spirit and cross-generational appeal is exactly what will be invoked in this family game series,” said Alex Thabet, Founder and CEO of Ludia Inc. “This deal broadens the Ludia portfolio and is in line with our successful strategy of taking immensely popular brands, translating them into rich interactive entertainment experiences for the whole family, then making them widely available on the platforms of their choice.”

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