Village Gamer

The Globe and Mail’s Globe2Go ePaper service, developed by NewspaperDirect, has enjoyed unparalleled success since its release in 2010. Now NewspaperDirect and The Globe and Mail have launched the much-anticipated Globe2Go Android app, which is now available for download from Google’s Android Market.

Unlike other news applications that offer a slimmed-down version of the newspaper, Globe2Go gives its readers the complete daily newspaper, including all advertisements, plus instant access to all the regional editions of the publication. The daily edition is available for download at 5:30 a.m. local time. So, for most people, The Globe and Mail will be available on their mobile devices or tablets well before the print edition lands on their neighbour’s doorstep.

“NewspaperDirect enabled us to quickly deploy the Globe2Go ePaper service and allowed us to offer electronic portability of our newspaper on multiple platforms. The original Globe2Go app was introduced on the same day the first tablet was made available in Canada. It has been very popular with readers and we expect the Android version to be a huge hit as well,” said Andrée Gosselin O’Meara at The Globe and Mail.

Globe2Go is based on the same technology as NewspaperDirect’s PressReader app for Android devices, which delivers touch-optimized browsing of complete editions of top news publications and offers:

•     Daily automatic download of user-selected titles
•     Fast navigation using thumbnails or tables of contents
•     Intuitive reading experience: flip, pan and zoom articles and photos, and view them in stunning clarity
•     Support for full graphic page views or easy-to-read text views of articles
•     On-demand audio that narrates a spoken version of any news article
•     Sharing of articles by email or by posting on social network sites

In 2010, NewspaperDirect and The Globe and Mail developed the Globe2Go ePaper electronic edition of The Globe and Mail using NewspaperDirect’s proprietary PressDisplay.com technology, making the full digital replica of The Globe and Mail printed edition available on numerous platforms and devices, including PCs, Macs, smartphones, tablets and eReaders — at no operational cost to the publisher. It also ensures that as new devices hit the market, Globe2Go readers will be able to enjoy their favourite publication on the latest handsets and tablets.

“The Globe and Mail is the top national paper in Canada and is renowned for its superior reporting and editorial. Globe2Go apps are perfect for delivering the complete newspaper to users wherever they are, while retaining the quality of the print edition, which has recently gone through a major redesign,” said Alex Kroogman, CEO of NewspaperDirect. “We’re truly delighted to partner with them to deliver their award-winning content on all the devices their readers choose to use.”

Pizza operator Pizza 73 has launched its iPhone application to make ordering pizza both convenient and fast. The launch is the first of its kind from a Western Canadian-based pizza chain. Developed by Break Point Creative, the new app can be downloaded from the App Store for all iPhone®, iPod touch® and iPad™ devices.

This innovative application will fundamentally change the ordering experience, making it fast and convenient, all at the swipe of a finger. Users have access to the menu, specials, and to completely customize their pizzas and other menu choices. By using location-based services (LBS), it can map out the nearest Pizza 73 location. Registered users also receive added convenience with saved profile information and can choose their last order with just one tap.

Pizza 73 was one of the first in the industry to launch online ordering over ten years ago and has a strong online customer base, due to its user-friendly system and promotional activity, such as the current “Spin to Win” game when you order online. They are now first to market with the iPhone ordering app.

“We are committed to mobile as a part of our overall strategy to provide a fast and convenient ordering experience for our customers. As the leading pizza chain in Western Canada, we strive to be at the forefront of technology to set new standards within the pizza industry. Being a trend-setter is key to winning over new customers and providing another service to our existing customers.” said Pat Finelli, Chief Marketing Officer of Pizza Pizza / Pizza 73.

Ludia Inc. and Mark Burnett’s One Three Television LLC have announced the availability of the Are You Smarter Than A 5^th Grader? game for Facebook platform. Based on the syndicated TV game show, players across North America can now enjoy a multiplayer Are You Smarter Than A 5^th Grader? experience with friends, family and the larger Facebook community.

“Are You Smarter Than A 5^th Grader? is an acclaimed TV game show franchise that translates into an extremely fun and social game on Facebook,” said Alex Thabet, Founder and CEO of Ludia Inc. “We’re thrilled to release yet another top game show property featuring multiplayer, simultaneous game play- a unique formula that has proven to be highly addictive for players and very successful for Ludia.”

Contestants simultaneously compete to correctly answer eight multiple choice questions pooled from different school subjects such as Art, World Geography, Earth Science, Math, Languages, and others, with the ability to use the “copy” cheat to help answer difficult questions. The top three players at the end of the first round have a chance at boosting “cash” earnings by correctly answering a 5^th Grader Bonus Question. At the end of the game, a successful contestant can share winnings with friends, and brag about the win by posting it on his/her Facebook Wall.

Are You Smarter Than A 5^th Grader? on Facebook features:

• Live, multiplayer game play with friends and other Are You Smarter 5^th Grader fans, and the ability to follow friends’ grades and progress in the game.
• Favorite elements from the You Smarter Than A 5^th Grader TV show, including thousands of questions drawn from 10 different academic subjects, authentic theme music and the familiar “classroom” setting.
• The ability to choose Facebook friends as “cheats” from whom players can “copy” an answer in order to earn bonus points and increase the chances of winning.

“This exciting game release brings a whole new dimension and audience to Are You Smarter Than A 5^th Grader?,” said Mark Burnett. “We’re delighted to see the franchise continue to thrive on Facebook so that fans of the TV show and players who enjoy social games will have an outstanding interactive experience with the brand.”

With just seven weeks left until the Ontario election, Damian Sommer, a student at George Brown College, has developed a video game where the player must dodge obstacles like tuition fees, debt and apathy to tackle a ballot box. The game is part of the Canadian Federation of Students – Ontario ‘Take It Over‘ campaign and can be played online.

“Drawing on the skills of our members, this game was designed to be a fun way to engage Ontarians about voting on October 6,” said Cindy Brownlee, Director of Education and Equity for the Student Association of George Brown College. “George Brown students, like students across Ontario, are struggling to pay high tuition fees and high levels of debt, so it’s important for us to encourage students to vote.”

“As students face another year of a five per cent tuition fee increase, we decided to offer them some relief from the stress that growing student debt causes through this game,” said Sandy Hudson. “The ‘Take It Over’ campaign has several components that are interactive and we hope that Ontarians will take the  chance to tackle the ballot box through our game, and then vote in the fall.”

The Nintendo-style game launched this morning as a browser game and will be available as a mobile app in the next few weeks. To date, students have released seven videos, held actions across Ontario and talked to hundreds of students about the importance of voting and the promises being made by the political parties to reduce the costs of college and university education.

The Canadian Federation of Students – Ontario unites more than 300,000 college and university undergraduate and graduate students studying at post-secondary institutions in all regions the province.

Desktop and Asset Management software specialist NetSupport has announced the immediate availability of the NetSupport DNA mobile console app – giving your IT support team and field engineers continuous access to essential customer PC data via their mobile devices.

Delivering a wealth of data for the target machine, NetSupport DNA is recognised as providing one of the most comprehensive and detailed hardware inventory modules available on the market today. Compatible with Android phones and tablets, iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, the new DNA mobile app connects with your central DNA inventory database, giving you access to accurate, up-to-the-minute asset management data wherever you are.

Key features include the ability to instantly call up the current hardware inventory for the target machine; view a detailed list of any historical changes to the hardware and software, and assess the cause of any logged PC alerts.

Expanding on the latest release, NetSupport’s Development Director Rob Hawkins explains: “Knowing the inventory of your IT assets is essential to the successful day-to-day management of any IT infrastructure. By making this data available on the move with our new mobile console, support engineers can now provide a much more effective service to customers while improving their own productivity.”

The NetSupport DNA mobile console app can be downloaded for free from the Android Marketplace, the Apple iTunes App store, Ovi and will soon be available for BlackBerry. The NetSupport DNA mobile console app is for use in conjunction with the NetSupport DNA Asset Management suite. Net Support is a UK-based company with an office in Markham.

Nintendo Canada says that consumers and their families soon will be able to experience even more must-play games for the Wii™ system at an excellent value. Nintendo has announced the addition of four games to the Nintendo® Selects collection, a hot-selling series of fun, family-friendly Wii games offered at a suggested retail price of $19.99 each. Starting August 28th, the Nintendo Selects lineup grows to include Super Paper Mario™, Mario Strikers™ Charged by Next Level Games, Punch-Out!!™, also by Next Level Games, and Super Mario Galaxy™, which is recognized as one of the most acclaimed Wii games of all time.

Already enjoyed by millions of players around the globe, games in the Nintendo Selects collection offer boundless fun at an enticing price for Wii users of any experience level, whether they want to expand their own game libraries or find affordable, fun-packed gifts for loved ones. The Wii console, which comes bundled with the Mario Kart™ Wii game and the Wii Wheel™ accessory, delivers extraordinary entertainment value for families and is available for a suggested retail price of $149.99.

Three of the four new additions to the Nintendo Selects collection invite players to interact with Nintendo’s iconic Mario™ character in imaginative and entertaining ways: Super Mario Galaxy is an out-of-this-world adventure in which Mario must travel through outer space to rescue Princess Peach™ from the devious Bowser™; Super Paper Mario offers classic Mario RPG action that can be switched from flat 2D worlds to a full open-world perspective; and Mario Strikers Charged finds the Mushroom Kingdom crew storming the soccer field for fast-paced athletic kicks. Also, the fan-favorite Punch-Out!! game delivers motion-controlled boxing thrills with a host of memorable characters. All four games feature multiplayer modes that let friends and family members have fun together.

Previously announced games in the Nintendo Selects collection include The Legend of Zelda™: Twilight Princess, Animal Crossing™: City Folk, Mario™ Super Sluggers and Wii Sports™.

From the 2011 Concours on the Avenue, exhibition in California’s Carmel-by-the-Sea,  Vancouver’s LiveCast Media has announced the first unified live 3D video streaming and delivery platform. LiveCast’s cloud based architecture enables anyone to broadcast 3D video up to 1080p/i HD quality and instantly have it viewed on any 3D video enabled device, including: home theatres, set-top boxes, laptops and mobile phones.

Imagine if you could feel closer to home,even when your front door is far away. You can now truly be the master of the house with Smart Home Monitoring, an innovative home monitoring and automation service launched today by Rogers. From remotely controlling thermostat levels, to scheduling lights to turn on when you get home, this new system delivers a connected personalized experience at home, at work or on-the-go. Powered by both Rogers cable and Rogers wireless networks, Smart Home Monitoring lets consumers automate and manage sensors, cameras, thermostats, lights and small appliances from their computer or smartphone. This service is currently only available to Rogers Hi-Speed Internet customers in the Rogers cable footprint across Ontario.

“Consumers are looking for solutions to enable their connected home seamlessly, reliably and securely,” said Ian Pattinson, Vice-President & General Manager, Smart Home Monitoring, Rogers Communications. “With Smart Home Monitoring, we have reinvented home security with easy home automation and energy management providing Rogers customers with a truly connected home of the future.”

At the heart of the system is an ultra-rugged, easy-to-use touchpad that consumers use to arm/disarm and manage their system. Available in wall-mount or table-top, the touchpad provides quick 1-touch access to home security functions, home automation apps for lighting, cameras and thermostats as well as multimedia apps for photos, traffic, weather and sports. When an alarm occurs, the touchpad instantly connects with the Rogers central monitoring station simultaneously over both Rogers cable and wireless networks. The touchpad constantly communicates with its highly encrypted smart sensors throughout the home, checking their status, signal strength, battery level and even room temperature.

Staying connected to your home is easy – consumers can securely connect to their Smart Home Monitoring service through any computer or a smartphone allowing them to view, manage and secure their homes through a two-step security process at any time from any internet-based location.

Additional features and benefits of the service include:

• Real-time, 24/7 monitoring at the Rogers Central Monitoring Station provided by certified security experts with over twenty years of experience in security, monitoring and emergency services
• IP-based dual network connections ensure constant connection of the home to the Rogers Central Monitoring Station
• Real-time sensor and video alerts sent via text and email
• Remote access from a computer or smartphone to securely view, control and arm/disarm the home
• Professional installation by specially-trained Rogers cable technicians

“Consumers want a next generation system that protects and connects their home seamlessly with their connected lifestyle,” Pattinson said. “Smart Home Monitoring is a natural evolution for our business that leverages our proven networks, expertise in communication and commitment to innovation and next generation connected experiences.”

Smart Home Monitoring has three rate plans, each including always connected wireless-data backup, starting with the Home Basics plan at $39.99 per month. Rogers Cable Hi-Speed Internet required.  The Touchpad starter kit is $149.00 on a three-year term, or $749 with no term, with optional sensors available a-la-carte and in discounted Value Packs.   All systems are professionally installed for a one-time fee of $99.00.

But will it turn off the iron? 😉

DBI Technologies Inc., a provider of interface design and scheduling component software for the development community, has released Studio Controls for COM v2.1.  This new release provides traditional application developers with an advancing set of interface design and appointment scheduling components. ‘There are many commercial applications in the market place developed in traditional IDE’s, and in our current economic climate, many organizations are giving new life to their products with new features that can be quickly implemented.”

DBI has seen an incredible increase in the interest of Scheduling and User Interface design component software for COM based development environments over the last number of months. “We’re pleased to be able to respond to our customer requests for additional enhancements that are now found in release v1.2 of Studio Controls for COM”, said Craig Gluck, senior VP of  product development.  “The 62 royalty free components that comprise Studio Controls for COM are a perfect choice for commercial software companies and consultants offering packaged solutions for their customers.”  Studio Controls for COM adheres to Microsoft standards delivering design and operational performance wrapped in an advanced developer experience.

Value is more important than ever and competitive advantage even more critical in our current business climate. The combination of Value and Competitive Advantage can be found in Studio Controls for COM v1.2 offering benefits for Windows developers and for their end-users.  Value also includes being able to provide an outstanding developer experience, which is a tenant of good business and a point of pride for DBI. The release of Studio Controls for COM v1.2 offers Windows developers the latest in Windows styles and themes, a new set of data presentation features, as well, DBI’s industry respected high level of customer service.

The release of Studio Controls for COM v1.2 continues DBI’s market support for Windows developers offering nine logical groups of components covering: Scheduling, Data management (Lists, Trees and Grids), Masked Edits, Calendaring, UI Design, Navigation, Presentation, Dialogues and  general app styling.  Each current license of a DBI component product includes annual product updates, upgrades, new component releases and technical support on an annualized basis.  DBI has made managing a set of third party component software easy through the product’s integrated Product Manager.   The Product Manager becomes a single point of developer access to all of the product’s assets; components, help files, demo’s and sample applications, licensing, online software activation, product updates and related news items are all available from a single double click.

A single developer’s license of Studio Controls for COM starts at $749. Complete product details including samples with integrated PEM viewers in Visual Basic and Visual FoxPro formats can be found on the  DBI Technologies web site.

A collective licensing agreement, representing more than 1500 major and independent record labels in Canada, has facilitated the launch of Galaxie Mobile by Stingray Digital, the first Canadian-owned commercial-free mobile streaming music service.

The agreement with Stingray is Canada’s first collective semi-interactive agreement and was negotiated by AVLA and SOPROQ on behalf of their members who represent the majority of recorded music in Canada, laying the groundwork for future agreements of its kind.

Music Canada, which represents Canada’s major record labels, spearheaded the negotiations, empowering AVLA to act on its behalf.  Graham Henderson, President of Music Canada, points out that the major labels want to see more digital services operating in Canada as quickly as possible, “We aggressively pursued this pioneering agreement because we understand how cumbersome our regulatory environment can be, and we want to help services better navigate it.  We hope the Stingray agreement sets the stage for other online and mobile services, and signals to the marketplace that Canada is open for business.”

“For digital music services who are eager to enter the Canadian market, it is an enormous benefit to be able to negotiate with one or two organizations rather than 1500 plus rights holders,” says Victoria Shepherd, Executive Director of AVLA.

“By enabling Stingray to clear all rights necessary with both major and independent music labels, we have created an accessible template for other semi-interactive services that want to come to Canada.  In addition, AVLA’s independent members benefit from being at the ground floor of a deal that may otherwise have begun only with the largest rights holders.  Developing the digital business here will remain an important priority for us in the months ahead,” adds Shepherd.

Stuart Johnston, President of the Canadian Independent Music Association welcomed the agreement, “This agreement with Stingray is an exciting and important step forward for the Canadian music industry, and we are hopeful it will serve as a template for other services going forward. Any agreement that serves to streamline the approvals process while providing a broad licensing deal for the benefit of our industry is most welcome.”

The new music service offers all of Galaxie’s 45 commercial and talk-free channels, already available online and via cable satellite and IPTV, on mobile devices.  Interactive controls allow listeners to skip songs and purchase their favourite songs directly on iTunes via the Galaxie Mobile player.  The player is available immediately in Canada for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and all Android devices.