Village Gamer

Toronto start-up zerofone has passed the 20,000 download mark for its mobile phone app available from Apple’s App Store. To celebrate this milestone, zerofone is tripling its no-obligation free trial to 30 minutes of free calling for new customers. The free trial allows mobile calls to Canada, the U.S. and many international destinations.

After trying out the service, a new summer promotion will give zerofone customers who purchase a monthly North American calling package an entire month of free calling. Customers simply purchase the first month of calling any time during July 2011, and their second month of calling will be free.

“It’s been an incredible few months since our official launch in January,” says company President, Ben Rovet. “We’re seeing customers from all over the world take advantage of our service.”

zerofone gives users simple and low-cost access to long distance and roaming (tip: when traveling out of country, use WiFi to avoid roaming charges) calling from their iPhone, iPad and iPod touch using a combination of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology and traditional telecom networks for superior voice quality and reliability.

With zerofone, users can pay less than 1 cent per minute for North American long distance calls and under 2 cents for overseas calls to destinations such as India, China and most of Europe, without using any minutes from their cell phone provider. Canadian wireless carriers normally charge 40 cents per minute for North American long distance calls and 75 cents per minute or more for international calls.

“With roaming, it can work out to $1.50 per minute or more,” says Rovet. “Our service saves some people thousands of dollars per year. It’s really quite astounding.”

When asked what motivated him to start this company, Mr. Rovet said, “Canadian wireless consumers pay among the highest prices in the world for mobile service. We believe Canadians are entitled to more choices and we are leading the way with price, quality and service.”

Once the free trial period is over, users subscribe to one of zerofone’s low-cost calling packages, contract-free. Unlimited calling packages start at $6.99/month. Travel Packs, online phone numbers and other innovative features are also available.

Calgary-based Kryos Systems has launched their rapid mobile application development platform, Velocity, in a version compatible with Android™ smartphones and tablets. According to a comScore report published in February, the Android platform is the leader in smartphone market share in the USA.

The Velocity platform has long helped businesses to create full-featured applications for the BlackBerry® platform and the addition of Android platform support allows applications created to operate across either type of device, making the Velocity software even more impactful for enterprise business looking for ways to increase efficiency.

Velocity will allow non-specialist developers to program custom applications for the Android platform, cutting the traditional time and costs associated with setting up mobile applications significantly.

Jeff Samis, Vice President of Product and Market Development at Kryos Systems said, “Velocity works by acting as an interface between much more common XML language and the various native languages that are traditionally used to write applications for smartphones. This means that businesses can use in-house staff, versus expensive and rare skills, to create their mobile applications for both the Blackberry and Android platforms. And they can do this in a time frame of weeks compared to months.”

“Our plans to launch on the Android platform have been ongoing for over a year now and we are very pleased to be offering the market place choice in application development.”

Applications built using the Velocity platform for Android smartphones and tablets will make full use of all of the features of the device, including the camera, calendar, address book, email, and others. Once installed on the smartphone, the applications created mesh seamlessly with the device’s own menus and widgets, providing businesses with the ability to give out of office mobile device user’s full access to information and systems in an intuitive interface.

Velocity features built-in security measures and encryption for all applications built using it, and operates even in those instances when there is no connection to a cell tower. As soon as a connection is made the application will process any work completed prior to losing connection. Battery life and network capacity is optimized through an efficient information caching system.

The new Velocity will run on Android tablets that use the Android 2.1 and higher operating system. This cross platform functionality means that a business needs only to create their application once to have it work on both BlackBerry and Android devices.

The release of Velocity for the Android platform coincides with a recent announcement from BlackBerry smartphone producers, Research In Motion, about plans to deploy a device management infrastructure to support Android and iOS smartphones. The solution is expected to incorporate secure device management for Android devices and other iOS based devices, all managed from a single web-based console. This important announcement from Research In Motion, the leader in enterprise mobility, means that businesses can much more easily manage individual devices coming into the enterprise.

TVO has launched its first app for the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet. My Canada is a fun and engaging memory sequencing game just in time for Canada Day. Beginning today, My Canada is available as a free download for BlackBerry PlayBook on BlackBerry App World™. It is also available as an online game at TVOKids.com.

My Canada is the perfect game for parents who want to help their kids learn about Canada’s geography, and nurture their children’s sense of pride in their country. It helps kids ages 6-11 learn about the locations of the provinces and territories, the capital cities and Canada’s Great Lakes. At the same time, the game focuses on “working memory” which can help enhance important memory skills in kids.

“We’re proud to announce the launch of TVO’s first app for the BlackBerry® PlayBook tablet,” says Lisa de Wilde, CEO. “My Canada is another example of the many ways TVO is using new digital media platforms to nurture important 21st century literacy skills and to complement classroom learning. My Canada makes learning about Canadian geography fun and accessible for kids.”

TVO’s My Canada memory game was designed with learning objectives that support the Ontario school curriculum and has been classroom and teacher tested and developed with TVO’s on-staff educator.

The introduction of TVO’s My Canada for BlackBerry PlayBook closely follows the recent launch of TVO’s two early learning mobile apps for BlackBerry® smartphones. Polka Dot Shorts and Flower Frenzy were downloaded over 250,000 times within the first two weeks of launching and recently held the number 2 and number 4 most downloaded positions on BlackBerry App World in the Education category.

Kohler Canada is pleased to announce that its CDNCatalog App for iPhone and iPod touch is now available for free on the App Store. Created for designers, industry professionals and imaginative homeowners, the app allows users to explore and discover the complete Kohler Canada catalogue of over 27,000 KOHLER_® products, along with videos, showroom and retailer locations and inspirational ideas.

“Intended to take full advantage of the iPhone and iPod touch, utilizing the aesthetic of the Kohler Canada website, the CDNCatalog App provides images, videos, product specifications, installation guides, pricing and locations in a useful and convenient manner,” says Donna Church, Manager of Marketing & Communications for Kohler Canada. “With a large following of industry professionals in Canada, we wanted to make it easier for them to work with clients who do not have access to showrooms or who are constantly on the go.”

“When homeowners decide to start a project, they are often overwhelmed by some of the small design details: Will it fit? What finish works best? How do I install it? Does it suit the design?” says Kevin Fitzsimons, Fitzsimons Design Build. “With Kohler Canada’s CDNCatalog App, consumers can run through their checklist in the showroom, at home, or on the go. With such an intuitive design, the CDNCatalog provides easy access to product information and installation sheets, making any home project simple, efficient and more accurate.”

Key features include:

• A product image gallery
• The ability to search by product name and number
• A GPS retail showroom locator
• In depth product information including specification sheets, installation sheets, measurements and finish/colour options
• The ability to share favourite products and design ideas with friends through email or on Twitter
• A wide range of video content, including product spotlights, brand messaging, installation instructions and design inspiration.

WEConnect Canada, in conjunction with the Department of Foreign Affairs & International Trade (DFAIT), has taken over 100 Canadian women business owners to the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC)’s 2011 National Conference & Business Fair, “The Opportunity Connection.” These women owned businesses represent all provinces and include many nationally recognized award winners who have a focus on expanding their customer base and extending market reach to corporations looking to diversify their supplier base.

“Supplier diversity is the proactive business process of sourcing products and services from previously under-used suppliers. Trade missions like this one increase the visibility and profile of our certified women-owned businesses to some of the biggest corporate players on the planet,” says Mary Anderson, executive director, WEConnect Canada. “These women entrepreneurs would not normally have such ready access to a large corporation’s supply chain.” An estimated 97% of large multinationals have supplier diversity programs.

WEConnect Canada is the certification body for women-owned businesses. It certifies firms that are at least 51% owned, managed and controlled by women and connects them with the growing global demand from corporations and the public sector for diverse and innovative suppliers.

“Certification assures corporations that they are doing business with recognized diverse suppliers and is the first step for these businesses to make important contacts, which will help open doors to international business opportunities,”  explains Anderson. “WEConnect Canada not only delivers internationally-recognized certification, but offers training and education to help women business owners successfully bid on procurement contracts.”

WBENC’s annual conference and business fair, June 21-23, 2011 boasts more than 3,000 partici­pants and nearly 350 exhibitors. The trade mission to WBNEC will provide Canadian women-owned business enterprises with access to leading corporations practicing supplier diversity.  During their time at WBENC, members of the delegation will meet with corporate procurement representatives and women business owners from across North America. There will also be networking and educational opportunities.

“You have to be at WBENC to network,” says Stephanie McLarty, president, REefficient Inc. and a past WBENC delegate. “This is the place to get introductions and resources and it increases the possibility of opportunities.”

The trade mission is also supported by provincial governments through regional women business enterprise centres across Canada.

D-BOX Technologies Inc. has signed its first agreement with Zurich Cinemas to equip the Rotterdam Square Cinema 7 in Schenectady, New York with 21 D-BOX MFX Seats.

Zurich’s Rotterdam Square Cinema 7 is the first location in New York State to offer the immersive motion technology that completely transforms the movie experience with theatre seats that pitch, roll and heave in perfect sync with all the onscreen action.

“Following one of the company’s most successful years to-date, interest from new theatre exhibitors, both foreign and domestic, remains strong and we are very pleased to announce a first location in the New York area,” said CEO of D-BOX Technologies, Claude Mc Master.

On July 15, Zurich Cinemas will introduce D-BOX with the release of the highly anticipated franchise finale, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.

“Committed to creating a first-rate experience using the most cutting-edge technologies, Zurich is thrilled to be the first in the area to feature D-BOX motion technology,” said President of Zurich Cinemas, Conrad Zurich. “We’re presenting a completely new way to experience movies and expect the D-BOX tickets to be extremely popular.”

SFU’s Beedie School of Business invite you to participate in an open house event for start-up companies and small to medium sized enterprises (under 100 employees) seeking to connect with talented MBA and BBA students. Whether you are seeking a part-time bookkeeper, market research support or a high level strategic planning consultant, you are invited to participate in this low-cost event. As an added value, students from the School or Engineering, School of Computer Science and Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology will also be in attendance.

Entrepreneurs In Action 2.0 takes place on the evening of July 20th, with tickets available now for $25.00 per company. Space for this session is limited and pre-registration is required. This event will be held at 500 Granville Street, Vancouver.

Retailers who focus on getting their product and services messages out on Facebook and Twitter are probably spending time and effort in the wrong area, according to data sourced from KubasPrimedia’s Major Market Retail Report (MMRR) study – a survey of over 1,500 consumers on their retail shopping habits and store preferences.

“Social media, like Twitter and Facebook, has been heavily hyped in advertising and promotion circles,” said Ed Strapagiel, Executive Vice President of KubasPrimedia. “MMRR shows that retailers and product manufacturers who are relying on social media to sway consumer purchase decisions may be misguided.”

“When consumers are researching a purchase online, over 70% visit retailer and product manufacturer websites. Only about 25% turn to social media sites or blogs for product or shopping information,” said Strapagiel.

KubasPrimedia has been conducting retail analysis for over 15 years. MMRR, based on surveys of Canadians in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal, examined shopping behaviour in 33 product categories at 147 retailers to determine competitive retail metrics, such as market coverage, shopping levels, drawing power, loyalty, and retailer performance scores.

MMRR found that that 77% of Canadian consumers “often” or “sometimes” visit retailer websites and 71% visit manufacturer websites to get information about upcoming purchases. Only 27% use social media and just 23% use blogs. Comparison-shopping, such as pricing a specific item, is the most popular online retail-related activity, with 76% of consumers doing so “often” or “sometimes”. Comparison shopping activity is high across all demographic groups.

“Given consumer behaviour, a company’s website is still by far the top online priority for retailers,” said Strapagiel. “Retailers that pursue other digital marketing avenues risk taking resources away from where they’re most needed”.

While services like Facebook, Twitter, and WordPress are free, they are not cheap, says Strapagiel, “Utilizing social media properly and effectively requires time, money, and talent. Retailers have to focus on what will provide the best return on investment considering where their customers are turning to for information.” Read the rest of this entry »

Calgary’s Blackline GPS Corp. has begun delivery of the new Javelin™ Covert Tracker, a purpose-built GPS tracking device for professional surveillance and loss prevention markets in North America.

In a sector where software and hardware solutions often come from two separate companies, Blackline’s complete end-to-end technology – delivered by its internal multidisciplinary research & development team – is a key differentiator that enables the company to respond to specific customer requirements with highly-tailored solutions.

“Javelin was built from the ground up for investigators and police services. Unlike competing products, that are often modified consumer trackers, Javelin is a true professional grade covert tracker with features like device removal detection and track-on-motion,” says Cody Slater, CEO and Chairman for Blackline. “Police forces are accustomed to paying upwards of $2,000 for tracking products whereas Javelin’s price point is less than $700.”

“Our new platform’s modular hardware and firmware architecture enables us to efficiently bring new products to market with reduced engineering timelines.” indicates Barry Moore, Head of Research & Development. He further adds “Javelin addresses critical customer feedback, including a custom waterproof case, dual neodymium magnets with 240 pounds of mounting force, a new Ultimate Sense® 2 GPS internal antenna with improved tracking of weak satellite signals, and a large 6000 mAh battery.”

Javelin provides more than 4 times the battery capacity of the existing Entourage PS portable security product. Coupled with advanced power management features, Javelin enables users to choose between an aggressive 3-week tracking profile through to multi-month operation for long-term surveillance applications.

As of the date of this release our initial production run of Javelin has been oversold and the company is currently increasing its production capacity to accommodate demand.

Blackline will be showcasing Javelin at the National Technical Investigators Association (NATIA) trade show in Tampa, Florida on July 16^th – 22^nd. NATIA is composed of over 3,000 law enforcement and intelligence personnel who provide the technical operations, surveillance activities, and scientific support for hundreds of federal, state, local law enforcement and related agencies across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

The Product Lair is a new idea in shopping search engines. What makes it different is the fact that there are no advertisements, pop-ups, bogus or irrelevant materials of any kind on the site. Combine that with the ability to search for products, coupons, discounts and sales, etc. and you get an incredibly concise, easy to use shopping experience. There is one goal and one goal only, to help shoppers find the products/services and prices they’re looking for.

The site boasts a powerful, yet easy to use, product search engine which is complimented by the ability to find special deals including:

• coupons and coupon codes
• product discounts
• sale items
• seasonal deals
• special offers
• items that qualify for free shipping
• sweepstakes entries

Plus, the site ensures that only active deals are listed. No need to wade through expired or out-of-date offers.

The person behind this product search engine is software designer Ted Neustaedter of Sooke, BC. When asked by one colleague why not simply use one of the existing tools on the internet, Ted’s reply was: “Simply put, shopping online is painful enough without having to wade through a lot of advertising, pop-ups and other junk to find what you want. I built a simple, easy to use tool that I think a lot of people out there will appreciate.”

It’s also important to note that the site is completely free and allows users to maintain complete anonymity, with no strings attached. You won’t be asked to enter your email address, or sign up for anything whatsoever. It’s a philosophy that the creator feels will make it much more appealing to the majority of internet users.