Village Gamer

Vancouver – Singular Software Inc. has released a beta update for PluralEyes™ 1.1, a companion application for Final Cut Pro that automatically synchronizes audio and video clips without the need for timecode. Targeted at the independent video professional, PluralEyes™ drastically simplifies multicamera and dual-system audio productions, both during recording and in post-production.

PluralEyes™ determines synchronization information from audio that is already present in the recorded material. During the shoot, there is no need to connect cameras and audio recorders or take any other special steps to prepare. And when shooting is done, the creative editing process can get started right away without the time-consuming step of matching clips manually. This removes the biggest bottlenecks in both production and post-production.

Since its release in April of this year, PluralEyes has been used by hundreds of video professionals and their feedback has been incorporated to make PluralEyes™ work better than ever for productions like weddings, live performances, music videos, reality TV, and indie films.
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I see many valuable uses for this application and its updates – kudos to Techneos

Vancouver – A significant upgrade will soon be available for Techneos® Entryware™ mobile survey software, opening up new capabilities for mobile research. Featuring a new survey engine for Windows Mobile® devices, this July 8th release will also provide an enhanced user experience for conducting mobile surveys on Windows® 98/XP/Vista, Palm OS® and webOS™ devices.

The Entryware platform for mobile research handles long, complex questionnaires with ease, enabling sophisticated consumer feedback on mobile devices ranging from entry level PDAs to the latest Smartphones and Windows-based Netbooks. With support for over 200 languages, Entryware software is ideal for face-to-face interviews, mystery shopping and diary studies.

Building on the unique notification system and scripting language already used by some of the world’s leading research organizations, the new release of Entryware software provides new capabilities to support self-completed research such as consumer diaries. Photo support and “lockdown” mode, already available for Entryware customers on Palm OS devices, are now available on Windows Mobile as well, allowing researchers to turn a wide range of PDAs and Smartphones into personal survey appliances. Enhanced project automation is also provided to simplify the user experience for self-completed surveys.
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Ottawa – Zip.ca and California-based Sonic Solutions® today announced a partnership to provide Canadian consumers access to high-quality digital movie downloads. As part of the alliance, Zip.ca will introduce a digital movie service powered by Roxio CinemaNow®, offering movies and TV episodes that can be instantly downloaded and enjoyed on PCs. In addition, the service will be embedded in consumer electronics (CE), enabling consumers to stream premium video entertainment directly to a range of home and mobile devices.

The partnership and introduction of digital movie delivery enhances the Zip.ca subscription service, which currently offers Canadians access to over 72,000 DVD titles via mail. It will also mark an important expansion for Roxio CinemaNow, which will gain a strong foothold in the Canadian marketplace and the ability to offer CE device partners a more flexible, multi-region enabled solution.

“Our collaboration with Sonic will allow Zip.ca to provide subscribers a new, flexible way to digitally access high quality entertainment in addition to the full catalog we currently offer by mail,” said Curt Millar, CEO, Zip.ca. “We are already Canada’s leading DVD rental service; now we hope to fuel membership and growth by becoming consumers’ destination for seamless digital movie access – a one-stop Entertainment shop.”
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Calgary – A recent survey of more than 28,000 iStockphoto customers found that search and quality of collection are two of the top reasons for choosing iStock. Enter Best Match 2.0 and the Vetta™ Collection. The Best Match algorithm provides more relevant results and saves people time when searching. Seventy-eight percent of customers found it reduced search times — 20 percent of those said search times were reduced by more than 50 percent. Vetta is a collection of top-quality iStock images hand-selected for exquisite art direction and intelligently executed concepts.

“Part of why we remain the microstock market leader is because we challenge ourselves to do two things: keep iStock’s collection the highest quality in the world, and help customers find the right files faster,” said Kelly Thompson, COO of iStockphoto. “By improving search efficiency and relevancy with Best Match 2.0 while launching the high-caliber Vetta Collection, we’re again improving the customer experience.”

Best Match 2.0

Best Match 2.0 is a new proprietary search technology. As it constantly learns from customer behavior, the advanced algorithm returns some of the most accurate and relevant search results in the industry.
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Mississauga – Microsoft Canada Co. announced today that MuchMusic, a division of CTV Limited, has selected Microsoft® Silverlight™ browser plug-in to give people across Canada one of the best seats in the house for this Sunday’s 2009 Much Music Video Awards (MMVAs) in Toronto when the cameras start rolling at 9pm EDT.

This year, anyone watching the MMVAs on a computer running Microsoft Silverlight will have access to Backstage Live, a unique, online video experience based on Silverlight that will stream the event live in high-definition – a Canadian first. Backstage Live lets viewers select from six different views powered by 21 cameras located throughout the event venue, so they can enjoy planned live on-stage performances from the Jonas Brothers, Lady Gaga and Black Eyed Peas, take part in exclusive behind-the-scenes celebrity interviews, peek into the VIP and press rooms, or join in the action from backstage or in the crowd.

As well, viewers can take advantage of the Alt Show cams to enjoy a “second screen” experience, letting viewers access TV footage framed in an alternate shot with different cameras. People using Backstage Live can also chat with friends live via Facebook and Twitter.
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Ottawa – Corel Corporation today announced Corel® Home Office, a new office suite designed specifically to address the needs of consumers and home-based businesses. With its low memory requirements and small footprint, Corel Home Office is also ideally suited for netbooks – portable, mini notebook computers that comprise the fastest growing PC segment. Corel Home Office includes Corel® Write for word processing, Corel® Calculate for spreadsheets, and Corel® Show for presentations.

Corel Home Office Simplifies Tasks for Consumers and Home-Based Businesses

* Sleek and simple interface: Easily access the tools and features you use most
* File compatibility and document sharing: With extensive file format support (including Microsoft Office) and the ability to create PDFs in all three applications, it’s easier than ever to communicate and share materials with others.
* Multi language support: Quickly toggle between 13 available languages to work in the language of your choice
* Portability: Delivery on a USB stick makes Corel Home Office easy to install on the go – even on netbooks without an optical (e.g. CD, DVD) drive
* Customization: Netbook owners can use manual or auto configuration options to easily adjust their settings and maximize screen real estate
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Toronto – EnStream LP, a mobile commerce joint venture company owned by Bell Mobility, Rogers and TELUS — Canada’s three leading wireless operators, today launched Zoompass™, a breakthrough mobile money transfer and payment service. Zoompass gives Canadians a fast and convenient way to send and receive money securely using their mobile phone. The service is enabled through the Zoompass application on the mobile phone which combines an easy-to-use interface with an integrated contact manager that redefines how users send and receive money. Zoompass is a better way to pay than cash, cheque, or wire transfer.

“The launch of Zoompass represents an important milestone in financial services that makes the mobile phone the central device consumers use to transfer money and make purchases,” said Robin Dua, President of EnStream. “The Zoompass mobile service ushers in a new era in electronic payments that addresses a growing desire to move money quickly and easily between friends, family, and merchants.”

Zoompass makes it easy to split a lunch bill, request money from parents, collect sports team fees, solicit money for a co-worker’s gift, or even pay a babysitter – right from a mobile phone. With the groundbreaking launch of Zoompass, Canadians nationwide can expect to hear more people ask one another “Do you want me to Zoom you the money?”
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Toronto – Ancestry.ca, in partnership with Library and Archives Canada (LAC), today completed the world-first online launch of the Historical Canadian Censuses, 1851-1916. Never before have all of the nine available national censuses⁽¹⁾ been published online, fully indexed and including original document images.

Together, these censuses contain more than 32 million names – all searchable for the first time – of those living in Canada from the mid 19th century through to the early 20th century – a period of nationhood, new arrivals, great change and significant growth.

It is estimated that half of all living Canadians (16 million people)⁽²⁾ will be able to trace their ancestors in the censuses – Ancestry.ca has found those of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Opposition Leader Michael Ignatieff, jailed businessman Conrad Black, singer Alanis Morissette and actress Pamela Anderson (original images available).

So what is a Canadian? Canadians have been asking themselves this very question for as long as we have existed as a country.
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Toronto – Add eBook Reader to the long list of features for the highly-anticipated Palm® Pre™ phone. Shortcovers by Indigo Books & Music, Inc. today announced the service will available on the newest phone from Palm, the Palm Pre. Shortcovers is an integrated online and mobile service that provides access to eBooks from any mobile device. Shortcovers’ catalogue of popular books includes titles from major publishers including Random House, Harper Collins, Hachette, Simon & Schuster, Penguin and Harlequin.

“We’re excited to make Shortcovers available on Palm Pre. Pre’s high resolution screen and innovative design make it a great eReading choice for consumers,” said Michael Serbinis, President of Shortcovers. “We are committed to providing eBooks to consumers on the mobile device they already own.”
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Victoria – ParetoLogic has gone live with their newest in anti-spyware, the Zheng™ File Analysis service. Zheng™ allows people to upload and scan a specific file on their PC. The service will then automatically detect any malware and inform the user if the file is safe or infected. Along with a simple summary, the service also provides detailed information for advanced users.

ParetoLogic’s Spyware Analysis Team (SWAT), recent finalists for VIATeC’s Team of the Year award, spearheaded the Zheng™ File Analysis service. Jerome Segura, Team Leader of SWAT, said of the project: “Zheng™ is a long term and expensive effort primarily oriented on pure research. It shows our commitment to develop new technologies and stay on the edge.”

Uploads are not limited to current ParetoLogic customers – anyone with an internet connection can have files scanned at no cost. By inviting all users to scan files, SWAT is better able to detect and remove threats. When each file is scanned, the characteristics of infected files are noted by Zheng™. These are then passed along to the Spyware Analysis Team for analysis, so they may further refine their anti-spyware technology. The more threats analyzed by Zheng™, the more fodder SWAT has for research and the better they are able to target spyware.
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