Village Gamer

Toronto – Microsoft Canada has a sweet contest going for Splinter Cell: Conviction fans. Check out the Contest Information page at GameStop (yes, this is a campaign to get gamers to pre-order SCC). The full rules for the contest, which is open to Canadians aged 18+ (or age of majority in their province of residence) only, can be found right here, but the idea is that 40 entrants will be randomly drawn from all pre-order registrants on March 18th, and those 40 entrants (along with a companion of their chosing, who must also be of majority age) will then be transported to Toronto on March 27th, where they will be hosted at a local hotel and given $100.00 in spending money. The 40 entrants and their guests will then become teams of two, and take part in a “scripted but realistic pure-skill challenge competition.”

According to the rules, each Team will travel through multiple checkpoints testing their skills against challenges inspired by the video game Xbox® Splinter Cell:  Conviction®.   The Team which most accurately and quickly completes all checkpoint challenges in the shortest period of time (thereby accumulating the highest number of game points) will be declared the winner. The winning Team will then stay another night in Toronto before traveling to Montreal for an overnight stay followed by a private tour of the Ubisoft offices and visit an EB Games or GameStop retail location. Please check the full rules page for more information.

Toronto – Working together with long-time collaborators Fresh TV Inc. and TELETOON Canada Inc., marblemedia has launched Stoked Interactive – to coincide with the March 4 premiere of new episodes of the series and push to the second season premiere in September 2010. With increasing interest in the program, the new site offers a tidal wave of new activities and experiences for fans around the globe. For fans of the French version of the series, teletoon.com has launched a French version of the site.

“We are very pleased with the keen fan interest and increasingly strong web traffic for Stoked Interactive,” said Matt Hornburg, Executive Producer, marblemedia. “Building on the success of the TV series, our team, with TELETOON has built an entertaining and interactive site that extends the surfer culture with what this audience wants – more indie music, added irreverent fun, and a chance to interact with their favourite characters.”

“Stoked Interactive has successfully brought fans out of the winter blues and plunged them into the world of surf and sand,” said Tom McGillis, Executive Producer, Fresh TV. “The site provides endless opportunities for viewers to engage with new and exciting content and the Fresh team is totally stoked with the results!”

Already making a splash are features currently available on Stoked Interactive: a rad character-driven messaging activity, Meet the Groms and Stoked Radio. These features, along with interactive games such as Wipeout’s Wipe Outs, Suitcase Sling and Surf or Sink make Stoked Interactive the ultimate place to live the young surfer ‘Grom’ lifestyle while giving viewers more ways to connect with the iconic characters of their favorite show.

Currently in development are new features that will allow the website to grow through to April 2010, when fans will be introduced to the Rippin’ Remixer (a music video editing module) and Grom Life (a social simulation game where players become an original Grom). These new additions will help fans to discover that a true Grom experience is only a click away.

Stoked Interactive is produced in association with TELETOON Canada inc and with the financial participation of Telefilm Canada and the Canadian Television Fund. This extensive online experience, along with the television series, is available for licensing via Cake Entertainment.

Fresh TV’s Stoked follows six teens from across Canada who travel to Sunset Island, B.C. for a summer of sun, sea, sand and, most importantly, surf. Working at a luxury resort they find that their plans for an endless summer of surfing might not be all that they hoped when, instead of a surfer’s paradise, they find a tacky tourist resort with rude guests, a run-down staff house and itchy, hideous uniforms. The series airs on TELETOON on Thursdays at 7 pm ET/PT as part of TELETOON’s 3 Hours of Really, Really, Really Awesome.

Vancouver – Building on the success of the HootSuite iPhone® App, the popular social media dashboard today launched a new version for Android™ – Google’s open mobile platform – as well as an updated iPhone version featuring Facebook integration.

HootSuite – primarily known as a Twitter tool for professionals – helps marketers, support desks and collaborative teams use the popular micro-update tool to outreach to audiences, track conversations, and strategically publish messages. With the new mobile versions, professionals can stay connected to their promotional campaigns from virtually anywhere and all users can also choose a Lite version available free on both platforms.

With the release, Android customers will enjoy the same tools as iPhone users, including:

* Managing multiple Twitter accounts
* Creating streams for #tags and searches
* Scheduling messages for the future
* Adding followers to lists and accounts
* Explanations for trending topics
* Sharing photos and shortening URLs

The full-featured versions for Android and iPhone allow unlimited Twitter accounts plus on-board, click-through statistics tracking whereas the Lite versions – available for no cost – are limited to three Twitter accounts.

HootSuite Mobile Overview

* HootSuite for Android – $1.99 from Adroid Marketplace – includes stats and unlimited accounts
* HootSuite for Android Lite – free from Android Marketplace – limited to 3 accounts
* HootSuite for iPhone – $1.99 from Apple App Store – includes stats and unlimited accounts
* HootSuite for iPhone Lite – free from Apple App Store – limited to 3 accounts

The updated full iPhone App (to be released within days) features the highly requested additions of Facebook integration and landscape view. Existing customers who purchased the app will receive a update at no cost.

Both platforms are tightly integrated with the web version so current HootSuite users can quickly import accounts with help from a powerful wizard allowing them to sync workflow from desktop to handheld and not miss any messages.

Calgary – MoboVivo has recently had several new iPhone apps for the iTunes store approved. MoboVivo enables content producers and broadcasters to market, transform, and distribute video for mobile, web, and television.

“Broadcasters and content producers want their audiences to spend more time with their TV shows,” said Trevor Doerksen, CEO of MoboVivo. “MoboVivo’s mobile apps solve monetization, distribution and marketing challenges for a TV industry faced by requirements for alternative-to-broadcast distribution.”

The apps are of part MoboVivo’s myScreen strategy to include mobile devices, like the iPhone and new iPad allowing users greater access to their favourite television programs. The apps allow commercial-free viewing over 3G and wifi networks. They also allow users to shift screens from an iPhone to computer or other mobile phone or device by using MoboVivo myScreens product.The apps are accessed and installed with a couple of clicks to your iPhone or iPod Touch. Several new apps for travel, workouts, cooking and entertainment are currently available in the App Store.

Halifax – DHX Media Ltd, a leading independent international producer and distributor of television programming and interactive content is pleased to announce that the hit children’s television series Martha Speaks, which airs on PBS KIDS in the US and TVO, Knowledge Network, and SCN in Canada, will soon be available on DVD in stores and online in the US and Canada. On March 9th, PBS KIDS and Paramount Home Entertainment will release the first DVD, titled Martha Says it With Flowers. The DVD will consist of 8 episodes of the first season of the critically acclaimed series, along with extras including colouring pages for children and an information feature for parents. Martha Speaks is co-produced by Studio B Productions, a DHX Media subsidiary, and WGBH Boston.