Earlier this month the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) asks Canadians to show off their .CA website in their Showusyour.ca video contest.
The deadline to enter has now passed, CIRA has shortlisted the finalists, and now they need your help picking the winners.
The grand prize winner will receive a MacBook Pro and will be featured in a future .CA marketing campaign - a pretty big deal considering CIRA's National marketing budget. As well as the grand prize, the first runner-up will receive a 64GB iPod touch, and the second runner-up will receive a Flip UltraHD camcorder.
Voting closes on March 26th, so head over to Showusyour.ca to vote today.
The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) is a not for profit Canadian corporation that is responsible for operating the dot-ca Internet... [more]
In a world where we find our personal privacy slipping away First Orion PrivacyStar’s mobile app allows people to take control.
Available for Blackberry, the simple app allows users to block all unwanted calls, ID unknown callers using their caller lookup and makes is simple to report those annoying and unwanted telemarketing violations with all the information needed for the law and regulatory authorities to take action. This is the first and only app available to provide this type of functionality regarding telemarketing calls and it is now available through MobiHand in Canada.
The app became available a few weeks ago and has already seen significant growth in their user base. In the digital world where people are giving away their privacy like never before this app allows you to take some of it back.
First Orion CEO Jeff Stalnaker reports that their data has shown that people are using the app to identify unknown callers with the caller look feature and then they can choose to block the caller or add them to their address book.
What makes this product unique is how it handles telemarketing calls. It is the only application that gets all the information needed for the authorities to investigate. The application also has a personalized web portal that can help you to manage your blocked caller list and provide additional details on potential violations while helping you to manage your PrivacyStar account.
Their partnership with MobiHand will allow Blackberry users in the US and Canada to tap into the power of this app. The PrivacyStar app is free for the first 30 days, after the trial the service is available for USD $2.99 a month. In addition to getting the app through MobiHand, it is also available at the PrivacyStar website, through Blackberry App World or by texting “myprivacy” to 74700.
Yesterday Vancouver's Indochino shed a little light on what happens after you order a custom-made suit online with a behind-the-scenes look at the handcrafted construction.
Capturing the entire process from click to fit, the video follows the purchase of a three-piece suit showcasing the unique production model, meticulous craft of Indochino’s master tailors in Shanghai and speedy two-week worldwide delivery.
Great looking video that should go a long way to helping potential customers just what's involved in making an Indochino purchase.
The video was made in collaboration with Fly Films - a production company whose clients include Dunhill, Christian Dior and Nike. Pretty good company for Indochino but then again they are one of America's Most Promising Startups.
About Indochino Founded out of Co-Founder Heikal Gani’s difficulty in buying his first suit, Indochino is the largest designer of men’s custom... [more]
Twestival Toronto is less than a week away and the Toronto tech and social media community is getting very excited. This year promises to be larger and raise more money than last year's inaugural TwestivalTO.
However, none of this would be possible without the generous support of the Toronto tech community. We had the opportunity at talk to two such sponsors:
Luke Southern is the Digital Strategist for GCI Canada:
This will be the second time that GCI Canada has sponsored Twestival. We think the event is great way to support a charitable cause, and an opportunity for us to engage directly with some of the thought leaders in the world of social media… I am looking forward to meeting in person all the people that I follow on Twitter!
Alkarim Nasser (aka Alex) is with bnotions.ca and Yorkville Media Centre:
Sponsoring TwestivalTO was a no brainer. Helping support the community and supporting larger worldly efforts looking to establishing education in the most impoverished regions requires as much momentum as we can feed it. TwestivalTO is offering organizations a unique opportunity to create brand awareness across the elite tech, marketing, arts and PR communities. It is a chance for organizations to show their values and stand up for a cause that has continued to attract the attention of thousands of their customers.
For more information about TwestivalTO and how you can become involved, check out TwestivalTO.
BNOTIONS is a Toronto-based web development company. Our iterative approach to website development is results driven. We make it work and recommend... [more]
Despite increasing global economic concerns, the Digital Media industry continues to see regular growth. Businesses are consistently looking to... [more]
“With the growth of mobile Internet usage and the need for real-time financial and business news content, we are pleased to provide our members with the additional value of adding this important channel to our distribution network,” said Laura Sturaitis, Business Wire Senior Vice President, Media Services and Product Strategy.
Business Wire’s co-branded versions of Viigo will allow users to access Business Wire content categorized by industry, language, subject and multimedia news.
Additionally, the application will feature direct links to Business Wire’s Twitter feeds, YouTube channel and the RSS feed for the All Things Press Release podcast series.
To download the Business Wire/Viigo mobile app, visit www.viigo.com/partner/businesswire.
Viigo™ is revolutionizing the way users access information on their smartphone. Every day, people around the world rely on Viigo as their gateway... [more]
The seminar schedule for the 2010 New Ventures BC Competition has been finalized and the first seminar on April 6th is a timely one for those considering entering the 2010 Competition.
New Ventures BC' Executive Director Bob de Wit and Elisabeth Maurer of LightIntegra Technology will be presenting Assessing the Opportunity and the seminar promises to answer a lot of the questions entrepreneurs ask themselves when running with a new business idea.
So you say you're an entrepreneur? Now that you've convinced yourself that your venture will be viable, how do you go about convincing others? And how do you avoid the many hidden mines that could stop you from polishing your gem?
As an added bonus, participants will walk through a step-by-step guide on how to put their best foot forward in the 2010 New Ventures BC competition.
Assessing the Opportunity takes place on Tuesday, April 6th at the SFU Segal School of Business at Granville and Pender. Networking and registration open at 6:30pm and the seminar will begin at 7:00pm.
NVBC’s business-education seminars are available to anyone. Seminars are $20 each or $100 for all nine seminars plus a networking event. and the fee may also be applied toward your $200 NVBC competition entry fee. Register online.
Turn your idea into a profitable company by entering the New Ventures BC competition. A "new venture" is a business idea that is economically... [more]
Here are five job opportunities that caught our eye on the Techvibes Vancouver Job Board this week. Check out the full job descriptions and get your resume in asap if you're interested.
If you're hiring and would like your job opportunities profiled here, add them to our Vancouver Job Board and we'll see what we can do.
At Microsoft, we're motivated and inspired every day by how our customers use our software to find creative solutions to business problems, develop... [more]
Move’s Top Producer products are the number one real estate sales and marketing software solutions. By designing and developing the best suite of... [more]
Bayleaf designs, creates and supports web, desktop, and database solutions. Our clear thinking and flexible approach will help you reach your... [more]
Smallbox Software is a content management systems provider specializing in creating dynamic websites that enable our clients to effectively... [more]
Since 2000, Switch has defied the odds, remaining a small independent studio that passionately explores interactive entertainment wherever it... [more]
It may not have been a big launch party or a bash but it was a launch nonetheless. Public Mobile, Canada's newest entry in the wireless marketplace, finally opened for business in both Toronto and Montreal yesterday. And maybe they've learned a lesson or two from the start-up cousin, WIND Mobile.
Alek Krstajic is the CEO of Public Mobile:
We are not going after Bell, Rogers and Telus customers.
And to back this up Public Mobile won't be offering any smartphones. None. Krstajic told the crowd gathered outside a Toronto east-end Public Mobile store. Their focus is two-fold: On the 30% of Canadians who don't own a cell phone as well as lower-income Canadians. According to their website, Public Mobile is offering a comprehensive and unlimited $40 talk and text plan with phones starting as low as $70.
According to a report by the Toronto Sun, Public Mobile has a plan to target their market.
To zero-in on working-class people with household incomes of well under $100,000, the company opened 25 corporate stores and private dealers dotted throughout high-density mainly multi-unit dwelling neighbourhoods across the 416 and 514 area codes. The company plans to have as many as 200 stores and authorized dealers open by December.
What are your thoughts on the Public Mobile business model? Do you think it will succeed?
Communication is not a luxury. It shouldn’t be about frustrating, hard to understand price plans or unpredictable monthly costs. Public Mobile... [more]
I recently caught up with Techvibes reader and good friend Julie Tyios in Toronto. Julie wears many hats. She is the CEO of Red Juice Media and the Community Manager of Vestiigo.com. More recently she was chosen to be part of the Toronto Transit Commission's Customer Service Advisory Panel.
Here is my conversation with her.
If you want to get in touch with Julie, follow her on Twitter at @JulieTyios.
Vestiigo connects the career-savvy young professional with the latest job opportunities at Canada's best and brightest companies. If you're a... [more]
If you're headed down to the Kitchener-Waterloo area next week, be sure to stop by the University of Waterloo's William G. Davis Computer Research Centre while you're over there.
Wednesday, March 24th, 2010
On Wednesday, March 24, students from the University of Waterloo's Electrical and Computer Engineering program (ECE) will showcase a dazzling array of inventions - including an energy converter for efficient hybrid car engines, as well as a system that offers high-quality sound in a light bulb.
More than 220 students are expect to present roughly 49 innovative solutions in a seminar format to industrial and academic attendees, presenting an array of solutions designed to address problems arising out of transportation systems, software design, power systems and communications systems amongst others.
Friday, March 26th, 2010
And on Friday, March 26, students from the first graduating class of U of W's Nanotechnology program will show off some of their inventions, such as a miniature pesticide testing device, an electronic "nose" capable of detecting toxic vapours and a night-vision coating that can potentially be used in covert military operations.
Harnessing the power of molecules at the nanometric level, approximately 65 students will put forward 16 projects, demonstrating the unique properties of molecular manipulation, in tackling some of world's more pressing problems.
Both events will start at 9:30 a.m. and end at approximately 8 p.m., and will be held in U of W's Davis Centre - the building infamously built to simulate the shape of a microchip. Throughout the day, guests are encouraged to visit the stalls and booths set up outside the auditorium and try their hand with some of the working prototypes on display.
Courtesy of Exchange magazine, here are some of the key inventions salted to make an appearance. For a full list, be sure to visit http://www.exchangemagazine.com/morningpost/2010/week11/Wednesday/031706.htm:
Nanotechnology
* Fast-tinting Electrochromic Eyewear
The project demonstrates an electrochromic technology that allows controlling the level of tint in prescription eyewear. Glasses can switch between transparent and darkened states almost instantaneously, a dramatic improvement over the unsightly five- to 10-minute delay of competing Transitions lenses when moving from outdoors to indoors. Power is only used when switching, so a simple watch battery is all that is required to operate the device.
* Night vision stealth coating
Infrared detection devices are heavily used in the military field as a method to detect enemy troops in the surrounding environment. As such, the ability to counteract this detection can provide a strategic military advantage. This project introduces a novel coating, using carbon nanotubes, that can be synthesized and applied to fabrics to enable night vision invisibility for stealth operations.
Electric and Computer Engineering
* PEF Water Treatment
The project demonstrates a compact design of a point-of-use system that enables non-chemical treatment of microbial content through water electroporation. This system avoids the use of chemical water treatments that alter the taste and odour of water. Ultimately, it may lead to a reduction in the consumption of bottled water. Electroporation allows permanent inactivation of microbial content in a liquid through the application of intense electric fields. These strong electric fields stress the cell membrane of the microbes leading to their rupture.
* Project IRIS
The project demonstrates the design of a high-altitude imaging system that utilizes a low-cost meteorological balloon to lift a reusable imaging and communications system to an altitude of 100,000 feet and then descend safely to Earth. During the course of its flight, the system maintains real-time communication with a ground control station, permitting an operator to issue new commands for image acquisition and file transfer. The imaging system can track fixed points on the ground so the operator can send geographic coordinates for detailed imaging.
* Audio Bulb
The project demonstrates a system that delivers high-quality sound and lighting in a common light bulb form factor. It provides efficient lighting as well as immersive audio without the need for the intrusive wires of traditional speakers. The light and sound can be conveniently controlled wirelessly through a computer interface. The audio bulb can be configured to produce different lighting and sound profiles, while still supporting traditional on/off control via light switches.
Event Information
For more information on these two exciting events, visit eceprojects.uwaterloo.ca/symposium.html.
