Village Gamer

Calgary’s Print Audit®, the print management company, has followed through on its promise to provide great products and support to its customers with the enhancements made in the recent releases of Print Audit Facilities Manager and ICE.

Facilities Manager is a powerful, easy to use tool designed to remotely collect meter reads, automate supplies fulfillment and report service information for managing fleets of copiers, printers, fax machines, and MFPs. The Facilities Manager release has enhanced many of the program’s core features including faster and more accurate reporting capabilities.

ICE gathers information for Facilities Manager by tracking and scanning print devices from all major manufacturers and when incorporated with Print Audit 6, it can accurately track local devices. With the newest release, ICE enhancements include better detection of Kyocera Mita devices and improved integration with Print Audit 6.

The Facilities Manager web portal is updated automatically so all changes are already implemented. Through ICE’s automatic update function, the program will periodically check for a new version and will automatically download and install the update.  Print Audit invites you to try a free demo today.

HBO Canada, a multiplex channel of Astral’s The Movie Network (Eastern Canada) and Corus Entertainment’s Movie Central (Western Canada), offers subscribers an innovative multi-platform double bill: viewers who tune in to Episode 6 of HBO’s acclaimed Game of Thrones on Sunday, May 22 at 9 pm ET/MT can catch a sneak preview of Episode 7 immediately afterwards, only on HBO Canada OnLine. The special sneak peek opportunity of “You Win or You Die,” the entire seventh episode, is available to all subscribers of The Movie Network and Movie Central who receive their home television service through Bell TV, Rogers and Videotron. (okay that part’s not fair – what about Telus and Shaw customers?)

Currently mid-way through its dramatic first season, Game of Thrones is based on the bestselling fantasy book series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin. The 10-part epic fantasy series follows kings and queens, knights and renegades, liars and noblemen as they vie for power and control of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros.

Presented in partnership with participating television providers through Bell TV Online, Rogers On Demand Online and Videotron’s Illico Web, HBO Canada OnLine reflects the weekly content offering of HBO Canada’s current on-air and Subscription Video On Demand (SVOD) services and offers similar functionality to OnDemand, enabling subscribers to rewind, play, pause and review title descriptions. HBO Canada subscribers also have access to TMN OnLine (Eastern Canada) and Movie Central OnLine (Western Canada), which offer customers a wide array of Hollywood hit movies and other premium commercial-free content. These services are available at no additional cost and can be viewed on computers anywhere in Canada, wherever a high-speed Internet connection is available.

Indigo Books & Music Inc. is delighted that Reading Life, Kobo’s industry leading social reading app has moved into the top rated position globally for eReading apps in the Apple iTunes App Store. As Canada’s largest book, gift and specialty toy retailer, Indigo is committed to enhancing the reading experience for book lovers regardless of the format in which they choose to read.

According to Indigo Books & Music CEO and Founder, and Kobo Chair Heather Reisman, “I am proud that Kobo has captured the attention and the loyalty of iPad users around the world as their preferred eReading application. Kobo has been focused on creating the best experience in eReading since day one and Kobo’s Reading Life provides readers with a fun, easy and exciting way to dive deeper into reading.”

The Kobo app with Reading Life has a 5 star rating by Canadian users, the highest among eReading apps in the iTunes store. Less than 48 hours after launch, hundreds of positive reviews began an influx of support for Kobo’s latest hit — with reviews touting the app’s navigation and ease-of-use. Users also praised the app’s new ability to organize shelves in their library, calling it out as the Kobo app’s top value. More than 25,000 custom bookshelves have been created in just one week.

In the last 7 days:

• – Kobo’s app has claimed the highest rating available – 5-stars – in Canada
• – Globally, nearly 750,000 users have downloaded the app, a 20% jump from version 4.3
• – More than 1,100 4- and 5-star reviews have been posted
• – Users now spend 10% more time in the Kobo application
• – Version 4.4 is the highest reviewed eReading app in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada

Finnish developer Grey Area has released Shadow Cities, the world’s first mobile global location-based massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) for free on mobile Apple devices in Canada. Shadow Cities uses location based technology to create an augmented reality and a revolutionary global arena for its players to participate in real-time large-scale combat with friends and other gamers. Players will engage each other in epic battles around the world in their very own neighborhoods and cities.

Shadow Cities Features Include:

• Choose your side: Players can choose to fight on the side of the Animators or Architects, two opposing schools of magic locked in a struggle for power and control.
• Definitively Massive: Hundreds of gamers at once will clash and battle with one another across neighborhoods, towns and cities across the world.
• Best in Class RPG Elements: Building upon traditional roleplaying systems and concepts, Shadow Cities offers a deep leveling system that allows players to customize their character by learning spells and developing attributes.
• Draw your Spells: Using the touch screen of the Apple mobile device, players draw magical runes to cast a variety of spells with which to attack foes, heal allies and defend their neighborhoods.
• Transform your Neighborhood: As players move around in the real world, their position in the parallel world of Shadow Cities will also move, revealing both new friendly and enemy players, spirits, traps, neighborhoods and much more.
• Transport Friends: Portals can be opened in cities that allow friends and allies to move between locations and take part in full-scale virtual battles, creating a truly global gameplay experience.
• Speedy Recovery: As mages engage in battles their health and mana will deplete but also refill over time. Players will have the option to purchase potions from the in-game store to refill mana instantaneously.

Shadow Cities is rated Rated 9+ for the following:

Infrequent/Mild Horror/Fear Themes
Infrequent/Mild Cartoon or Fantasy Violence

Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Requires iOS 3.1 or later.

Montana-based Schedulicity has successfully expanded its services into Canada, becoming available in more than 1,900 cities across North America and marking the company’s first expansion outside the U.S. The company was able to gain footing in all 10 provinces within one week of its January 2011 launch. Schedulicity has gained traction in all 10 provinces and 2 out of 3 territories, with the largest presence in Ontario followed by Alberta and British Columbia.

“Schedulicity has created a pent-up demand with both consumer and service providers in countries beyond the US, including Canada” said Jerry Nettuno, CEO of Schedulicity. “We are looking to capitalize on the incredible momentum we’ve seen in the U.S. and are already experiencing paralleled success in Canada.”

Schedulicity is a real-time, online appointment calendar that streamlines the scheduling process between service-based businesses and their clientele. It allows these businesses to make their schedules/services available to current and potential clients through multiple digital channels such as websites, Facebook, Twitter, and the schedulicity.com portal.

Small business owners across the country have already begun to see the benefits of streamlining the appointment-booking process with Schedulicity. Charmaine Cianciullo of Peppermint Spa in Manotick, Ontario, began using the service shortly after the launch and has already seen a 15 percent increase in revenue since using Schedulicity.

“Schedulicity has given me more time to focus running my business, instead of answering emails and phone calls,” said Cianciullo. “My clients now have the ability to book and manage appointments at a time that is convenient for them, day or night.” More than one third of appointments at Peppermint Spa are booked after hours on Schedulicity. Cianciullo uses Schedulicity’s email marketing capabilities to inform clients about new promotions, tips and DIY beauty recipes.

The news of this expansion comes on the heels of the launch of Schedulicity’s class scheduling module, which provides service professionals with an efficient and powerful way to quickly add classes and workshops to enhance their growing businesses. Schedulicity has also begun addressing the option of expanding into other international markets.

AOL Canada has announced the launch of its next generation homepage, AOL.ca. The new homepage features original, premium content with more emphasis on relevant, Canadian news and more of the video format Canadians love. The new site will feature breaking news, entertainment updates and relevant articles and stories in a new sleek design while providing advertisers with prominent ad opportunities, including AOL’s new innovative advertising format, IAB Portrait (formerly known as Project Devil).

“The new AOL.ca delivers on our promise to inform, entertain and connect with Canadians,” says Brad Cressman, head of content, AOL Canada. “The new site is aligned with our strategy of creating a ‘wow’ experience at scale by marrying our high quality content with an improved design to increase discoverability.”

With the addition of the Huffington Post, AOL premium properties reach 9.8 million Canadians monthly and have the highest concentration of HHI of $100k+ among the Top 5 Portal Sites in Canada. ⁽Source: comScore Inc. Total Canada. All Locations. March 2011)

Media Experts is the first to take advantage of the AOL.ca homepage with their client, BMW Canada. The campaign features the new X1, and will engage and excite consumers using the IAB Portrait ad format.

“While many other homepages offer standard big box and leaderboard placements, AOL.ca provides new ad opportunities, including Project Devil,” says Karel Wegert, Director, Digital Solutions, Media Experts. “From a media perspective, we were able to better communicate our customer’s messages to an unduplicated audience while efficiently reaching the target audience for the BMW X1 launch.” Read the rest of this entry »

Intertainment Media Inc. has announced that its social media, real time, language translation platform Ortsbo has entered into an agreement with two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash to become an official spokesperson for Ortsbo. Leading Ortsbo’s global sports fan program, Nash will present and participate in a number of online fan chats with international athletes from a number of sports disciplines. Business partners Gene Simmons and Richard Abramson were instrumental in the introduction and facilitation of the business agreement with Nash’s representatives, BDA Sports Management.

Ortsbo will seek to engage Nash’s considerable influence and social media presence to help spread the word about Ortsbo’s unique, translator experience platform that integrates seamlessly with the most popular social media platforms to enable users from around the world to instantly send and receive messages in their native language.

“With the growth of social media and the increased access to technology, the world has become more inclusive. Language is one of the last remaining obstacles to uniting our different cultures and perspectives and Ortsbo bridges that divide, bringing us all closer together,” said Nash. “I am excited to be associated with Intertainment and with Ortsbo.”

In addition to Steve Nash, Ortsbo has announced a business partnership and spokesperson agreement with rock legend and global entrepreneur, Gene Simmons. Ortsbo, together with KISS co-founders Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, will be hosting the world’s first interactive global fan chat in 53 languages – KISS Live & Global on May 20, 2011 at 7:30 am Pacific.

The Ortsbo platform eliminates the need to cut/copy and paste text into a translator by automatically translating typed text into the specified language instantly, unlike typical translation software. Users simply indicate the desired language for their intended recipient and Ortsbo does the rest. Ortsbo even lets users conduct multiple chat sessions simultaneously across multiple social networks in multiple languages in real time.

Free for consumers to use, Ortsbo.com is ideal for both personal/social communications, allowing users to chat with friends and family around the world or around the neighborhood, and for business communications. Global colleagues can use Ortsbo to collaborate and chat about projects in their native language for faster and more efficient communication that reduces the risk of misunderstanding due to translation errors.

“We are very excited to have the opportunity to work with Steve Nash. Steve opens Ortsbo to the global sports arena where the challenge of fans and athletes speaking different languages can pose a significant obstacle in achieving global connectivity and consciousness,” said David Lucatch, President of Ortsbo Inc. and Intertainment CEO. “Ortsbo’s quick and easy automatic translation helps both consumers and businesses eliminate these barriers allowing people to interact and communicate freely regardless of the language they speak.”

Ortsbo is in the process of releasing its first beta application for mobile phones – Ortsbo for iPhone. Other Ortsbo mobile phones and portable computing apps, including apps for Android, Apple, Windows Phone, BlackBerry and tablet computers are scheduled to begin launching Summer 2011.

For businesses, Ortsbo provides multi-lingual global communications solutions via RSS, API solutions, private chat networks and custom services allowing organizations to provide seamless communications with their constituents.

Ortsbo will be launching its instant email translation plug-in Ortsbo for Outlook or “O4O” for the world’s largest email platform, Microsoft Outlook. Ortsbo will initially make up to 10 Million copies of O4O available on a global basis to consumers and businesses on an introductory basis from mid June through mid September 2011.

Participants and viewers of KISS Live & Global on May 20^th will get a sneak peek at the O4O software and user bonus program, Ortsbo Cruise Into Translation that will feature a host of exclusive prizes including major VIP packages. Pricing packages for Ortsbo for Outlook (O4O) will be announced at the event.

TRAC Records, Inc., a records management consulting firm based in New Westminster, has launched its DIY Records Management Series with the release of two new books. The books will focus on two important aspects of records management: records retention and file classification. Both titles, “DIY Records Retention & Disposition Schedule Workbook” and “DIY Functional File Classification System Workbook” are now available for purchase on the company’s web site, and for a limited time, TRAC Records will also provide one free hour of phone support with the purchase of the books.

Vice President Patricia Beelby said that the series was designed for organizations that have pressing records management needs but cannot afford to hire consultants.

“Much of the work in developing file plans and records retention schedules is labour intensive. We were frustrated that we couldn’t help organizations who didn’t have the consulting funds. This approach is for them,” she said.

The series will serve as a step-by-step guide to managing records in an efficient, cost-effective manner, and will explain the many legal requirements on how long to keep records. Many organizations often misunderstand these regulations and don’t have a proper retention strategy in place. In August 2010, a Symantec Corp study found that “Most enterprises (87%) believe a proper information retention strategy should allow them to delete unnecessary information. However, less than half (46%) actually have a formal information retention plan in place.”

Barrister and solicitor Gale Prestash said that TRAC Records’ new series will help organizations make better use of their legal budgets, regardless of their jurisdiction.

“They can do more for themselves in designing systems that comply with ongoing legal records requirements, and reduce their costs in the event of litigation,” Prestash said.

Marcel Roy, TRAC Records’ president, said that these books are the first in the field to use mind maps.

“In my forty years of records management experience, I’ve always struggled with getting clients to understand file plans and retention schedules,” he said. “Once I started using of mind maps, they completely understood what I was doing.”

Roy and Beelby will be presenting on mind mapping in records management at the Association of Records Managers and Administrators (ARMA) Canada conference June 6, 2011 in Charlottetown, PEI.

TransGaming Inc. (TSX VENTURE:TNG) announced yesterday that it granted options to purchase 1,800,000 common shares under the Company’s stock option plan, of which 530,000 were granted to directors and officers. The granted options have an exercise price of $0.82 (being the May 16, 2011 closing price of the shares on the TSX Venture Exchange), vest 1/4 each year on June 1 from 2011-2014, and expire on May 17, 2016. The stock option grants remain subject to acceptance for filing by the TSX Venture Exchange under Policy 4.4 (“Incentive Stock Options”) of the TSX Venture Exchange Corporate Finance Manual.

Glacier Media Inc. (TSX:GVC) is pleased to announce that, through one of its affiliates, it has entered into a definitive agreement with Rogers Publishing Limited to acquire a portfolio of media assets from Rogers’ business and professional publishing group. The assets comprise 15 trade publications and digital brands, together with their associated readership database, events and web presence. Properties acquired include established and leading publications such as Food in Canada, Le Bulletin des agriculteurs, Canadian Packaging, HPAC and Meetings & Incentive Travel (including Incentiveworks, Canada’s largest trade show for the meetings, incentive travel and promotions industry).

The assets will integrate into Glacier’s Business Information Group, a leading operator of Canadian trade publications and industry-focused web sites, and Glacier’s Farm Business Communications.

The acquisition allows Glacier to:

• Expand the company’s growing print and digital footprint in the Canadian agriculture and food media industry;
• Further leverage the operating platform of the Business Information Group (e.g. fulfillment systems, production services, web technologies);
• Utilize acquired technologies to accelerate the online capabilities and reach of the Business Information Group’s directory products, especially Scott’s Directories.

The transaction is expected to close on May 27, 2011.

Yesterday was the official launch of Opportunity CAN, a 40-day event celebrating Opportunity International’s 40-year history empowering people across the developing world to work their way out of poverty using financial tools. During the event, Canadians will use their unique skills and creativity to fulfill a personal challenge or host a meal that will help end poverty through microfinance.

“In the last year, we’ve had people parachute out of planes and hike mountains to help end global poverty,” says Opportunity International Canada President & CEO, Paula A. Curtis. “Engaged couples gave up their wedding gifts and businesses offered a ‘Toonie at the Till’ promotion. It will be exciting to see how Canadians now respond to Opportunity CAN.”

Opportunity’s goal is to raise $1 million in 40 days that will help empower entrepreneurs to work their way out of poverty. The campaign, however, “is about more than raising money,” Curtis observes. “It’s about celebrating entrepreneurship and creativity. Our microfinance clients have been demonstrating this for 40 years. Now we’re giving Canadians the opportunity to use their gifts as well.”

D-BOX Technologies Inc. has signed an agreement with Starplex Cinemas to equip its Stadium 16 theatre in Corpus Christi, Texas and Stadium 14 in Normal, Ill. with D-BOX MFX Seats.

Stadium 16 in Corpus Christi will be the first of the two to feature the motion technology, debuting 25 D-BOX MFX Seats in time for the May 20 release of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

“This initial agreement with Starplex Cinemas generates new opportunity for growth within the U.S. as this chain currently has a presence in California, Texas, Oklahoma and Ohio, just to name a few U.S. states,” said President and CEO of D-BOX Technologies, Claude Mc Master.

“We are very much looking forward to introducing the D-BOX experience,” said Director of Marketing for Starplex Cinemas, Traci Hoey. “It’s a means of differentiating our theatres from others in the market while maintaining our commitment to provide a high-quality, state-of-the-art entertainment experience for our guests.”

The HSBC International Business Awards are an important, new awards program that will honour Canadian firms that have made a real difference in taking their products and services to the world. The Awards were bestowed in the following categories: the HSBC International Business of the Year Award, Small and Medium Enterprise, the HSBC International Business of the Year Award, Large Enterprise, the Leadership in International Trade in Asia-Pacific, and the Leadership in International Trade in Latin America. The program was created in conjunction with Business without Borders, Canada’s newest and best source of news, analysis and practical information for companies reaching beyond this nation’s borders.

Of interest to us are the 2011 Award Winners in the Enterprise categories, because they are both from the Technology sector:

Small Medium Enterprise: ToonBoom Animation
Large Enterprise: Forensic Technology

GuestLogix, Inc., a global provider of onboard store technology to airlines and the passenger travel industry, today announced that Tom Douramakos, President and Chief Executive Officer was invited to present at the 12^th Annual B. Riley & Co. Investor Conference at the Lowes Santa Monica Beach Hotel in Santa Monica, California.

Mr. Douramakos will discuss the benefits of GuestLogix’ onboard retailing technology and merchandising platform and highlight the Company’s success in penetrating the global airline industry. He will also outline the Company’s strategy to drive continued growth. The GuestLogix presentation will take place on Tuesday, May 24^th, 2011 at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time in Palisades D.