22nd October 2010

Never A Dull Friday

UbisoftUbisoft has released a video dev diary for Assassin’s Creed: The Fall, a comic book written and illustrated by Award-winning artists Cameron Stewart and Karl Kerschl and colored by Nadine Thomas, produced by Ubi Workshop and published by DC Comics. The first of the three issues will release on November 10th, 2010.

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Assassin’s Creed: The Fall follows 19th century Russian assassin Nikolai Orelov as he strives to claim an artifact of immense power from the hands of the Templars, encountering historical figures such as the ruthless Tsar Alexander III. Meanwhile, in modern times, a troubled young drifter copes with unsettling visions of a possible past life – visions that have irreversible consequences for the present.

Eidos MontrealEidos Montreal’s Deus Ex: Human Revolution is going to get a special preview tomorrow (today in AU) at The Mana Bar, a video game bar down in Brisbane, Australia. A team from Square Enix will be presenting a game demonstration, which will be followed by an exclusive video from the developers. Prizes and competitions giving away unique Deus Ex merchandise to the bar’s clientele during the day.

Loud Crow InteractiveVancouver’s Loud Crow Interactive Inc., a digital book publisher founded by a group of interactive entertainment veterans, announced today the redefining of e-books with its first release, PopOut!™ The Tale of Peter Rabbit, now available for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch in all non-European territories.Pop Out Tales

With decades of combined experience in interactive digital media, the team at Loud Crow has applied its creative talents and technical expertise to revolutionize the reading experience. “For us, it’s all about making the reading experience fresher and better than ever,” says Calvin Wang, Founder and CEO. “We blend traditional content with rich, interactive elements such as audio, animation, and even touch and tilt gestures. Using the original illustrations and text, we’re able to achieve an authentic, yet modern experience that our readers will find unique and inspiring.”

The publisher’s first title in the PopOut!™ series of interactive children’s books brings the age-old Beatrix Potter classic to life with signature PopOut!™ spin-wheels, pull-tabs, spring-mounted elements, and objects that literally pop out of the page. Complete with a beautiful classical piano soundtrack, fun and immersive sound effects, and a charming vocal performance, this is an experience you and your family won’t want to miss.

Majestic MediaItWowed.Me, a new smartphone technology platform developed by Majestic Media Ltd., allows businesses and brands to drive audiences to Facebook fan pages and convert them into fans.

“Like” something in real life? By placing a Quick Response (QR) code on real world objects, smartphone users can now scan these codes with their iPhone, Android, BlackBerry or any smartphone device and instantly “Like” the real world product or business on Facebook, thus sharing it with their friends on the social media site.

Utilizing a smartphone app like ScanLife, the QR code connects the smartphone’s Internet browser on to the corresponding fan page, allowing brands to convert their target audiences in retail locations into fans.It Wowed Me

With the surging popularity of smartphone technology, ItWowed.Me provides companies with the ability to easily increase their fan base on their Facebook fan pages. The smartphone system is a breakthrough for brands looking to maximize their exposure for dynamic real world events, products or exhibits by linking these environments to social networks like Facebook.

“With It.Wowed.Me we’re bridging the gap between Facebook and the real world,” said Mario Zelaya, Managing Director at Majestic Media. “Any smartphone user will now be able to instantly share a product, brand or event they ‘Like’ with their friends on Facebook, providing companies with the capacity to increase their fan base on fan pages with tangible results. We’ve worked with companies that have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars, trying to increase traffic to their fan pages on Facebook. What we’ve done is created a simplified solution so they can take their digital fan conversion strategy to the real world and at no cost.”

Some of the features of ItWowed.Me include:

* The ability to place QR codes on any type of object (e.g., napkins in a restaurant)
* Direct connection to corresponding mobile optimized fan pages
* Access to system analytics to measure the success of initiatives

global knowledgeBrian K. Branson, President and CEO of Global Knowledge Training LLC, announced today the appointment of Scott Williams to the position of President, Global Knowledge Canada. Williams replaces Donna de Winter, who, as CEO of Nexient Learning, Inc., was instrumental in the sale of Nexient to Global Knowledge in August 2009.

“The integration of the operations of Nexient and Global Knowledge is now essentially complete,” said Branson. “With the integration behind us, we are ready to move to the next phase of our development in Canada.”Scott Williams

Williams has been serving as Vice President, Product Management for Global Knowledge Canada since the acquisition. With more than 25 years of experience in the technology and training industries, he has held senior management positions in operations, product management, development, and marketing.

“Scott has the critical skill set and passion to develop and lead the execution of a strategy to solidify Global Knowledge’s position as the training provider of choice in Canada,” said Branson. “I’m looking forward to working with Scott as he leads the Canadian team to renewed growth for Global Knowledge Canada.”

Williams holds a B.Sc. from Queen’s University and a Masters of Education from the University of Toronto. He is a published author, a seasoned technical instructor, an expert facilitator, and a popular public speaker at conferences throughout North America.

Video Games LiveVideo Games Live tickets have entered the pre-sale phase – if you get the VGL newsletter, you will have a pre-sale link and code to get your tickets before the general public. If you’ve been living under a rock and for whatever reason haven’t yet seen a Video Games Live show – what are you waiting for? Here are the announced 2011 Canadian tour dates:

April 13 – Vancouver – Performing Arts Centre 7:30 PM
April 14 – Vancouver – Performing Arts Centre 7:30 PM
April 15 – Victoria – Royal Theatre 7:30 PM
April 17 – Calgary – Jack Singer Concert Hall 7:30 PM
April 18 – Edmonton – Jubilee Auditorium 7:30 PM
April 20 – Saskatoon – TCU Place 7:30 PM
April 21 – Regina – Conexus Arts Centre 8 PM
April 22 – Winnipeg – Burton Cummings Theatre 7:30 PM
April 23 – Winnipeg – Burton Cummings Theatre 1:30 PM
April 25 – Thunder Bay – Community Auditorium 7:30 PM
April 27 – Kitchener – Centre In The Square 7:30 PM
April 28 – Hamilton – Hamilton Place Theatre 7:30 PM
April 29 – Ottawa – Civic Centre Theatre 7:30 PM
April 30 – Montreal – Place Des Arts 7:30 PM
May 2 – Toronto – Massey Hall 7:30 PM
May 3 – Kingston – K-Rock Centre 7:30 PM

Chartered Accountants of CanadaA new publication by the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA) in conjunction with CIBC provides valuable cash management advice for small- and medium-sized businesses. The “Cash Management Toolkit for Small and Medium Businesses” authored by Jeffrey D. Sherman, MBA, CA, is designed to help business owners understand the various components and concepts of cash management. A special seminar was held this morning at the Toronto Board of Trade to mark the official launch of the toolkit.
Cash Management
“Taking a strategic approach to cash management is essential for business owners, especially in today’s unsettled economic climate,” said Cairine Wilson, Vice-President, Member Services, CICA. “The toolkit is designed to support business owners in developing a solid cash management foundation.”

“CIBC recognizes that one of the fundamentals to success for any business is managing cash flow effectively,” explained Jon Hountalas, Executive Vice-President, CIBC Business Banking. “This toolkit is a rich, comprehensive guide and an excellent resource for every business leader that can be used by businesses in any industry at any life stage.”

The toolkit provides an in-depth case study and a number of checklists to assist business owners. It also provides detailed advice on issues such as:

* Budgets, projections and forecasts
* Fraud and risk management
* Credit and collections, payment terms
* Optimizing inventory
* Obtaining and investing cash
* Handling debt
* Working with your banking partners

Additional information about the toolkit, including how to order a copy, is available online, the toolkit is available in both English and French.

This entry was posted on Friday, October 22nd, 2010 at 12:04 pm and is filed under Associations, Business News, Dev Diaries, Digital Products, Events, National News, New Releases, Social Media. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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