1st April 2010

Surely You Jest

Digital LeisureGormleyDigital Leisure today announced the upcoming release of the “Plasti-Copter” accessory for its successful WiiWare™ title Copter Crisis. Claiming that it’s most certainly the largest accessory to ever be released for a gaming console, Digital Leisure predicts it might revolutionize the way consumers play video games.Copter Crisis Chopper

“We’ve heard nothing but great reports from those playing Copter Crisis” states David Foster, Digital Leisure’s president, “but we really felt there was more we could do to enhance the gameplay experience. So we turned the problem over to our engineers and this is what they came up with.”

With a Wii Remote in-hand, the player enters the Plasti-Copter. Once comfortably seated and Copter Crisis started, the player will instantly feel they’re part of the action as they guide the on-screen copter with their remote. Copter Crisis available exclusively on WiiWare for 500 Wii Points™.

“Life-Size is actually a bit of an exaggeration” says Paul Gold, V.P. Operations. “We reduced the size a little so that it will fit snugly into most family rooms”. And to the suggestion that once in production, the Plasti-Copter will consume more petroleum products than many developing nations, Mr. Gold replies “no worries, we’ve been in touch with several oil-producing countries and they assure us they can ramp up production.”

While some claim that an accessory of this scope is better suited for a disc-based title, Digital Leisure points out that “Really, WiiWare is where the action is – digital downloads are the future.”

The price may be a bit of a stumbling block for some but for those who can afford it but, it’s guaranteed to be the experience of a lifetime. As an added bonus for those who preorder Plasti-Copter today, Digital Leisure is offering a special shipping option – helicopter airlift delivery to your back yard!*

Morrigan with her voodoo doll

Bioware CorpEdmontonBioware has released new DLC for Dragon Age: Origins to celebrate Thedas, the great holiday of Satinalia. This special day is marked by sumptuous feasts, wild celebration, and naming the town fool as ruler for a day. Amid the feasting, it is customary for friends, lovers, and traveling companions to exchange gifts and pranks.

Feastday gifts and pranks offer the player a chance to explore the approval system in Dragon Age: Origins at greater depth by making your companions despise or adore you. Feastday gifts and pranks packs are available for purchase individually or as a combo pack containing both the Gifts and Pranks.

Now for just 160 MS Points, you can pull a prank on your party members with the Feastday Prank Pack, or you can give Morrigan the coveted Alistair voodoo doll from the Feastday Gift Pack (also 160 MS Points). If you are undecided, you can get both packs for only 240 MS Points – that’s a savings of 40 points if you buy them separately. These packs are only playable in Dragon Age: Origins.

Extreme Ease SoftwareDeltaExtreme Ease Software Inc., announced the immediate availability of a completely redesigned and significantly improved HelpConsole 2010. Technical writers have the ability to host all product documentation on one central web server enabling design and maintenance of help systems from any office using a standard HelpConsole 2010browser.

HelpConsole represents the next step in the evolution of user assistance. In addition to formats such as web-help and PDF, HelpConsole provides the unique ability to publish ‘dynamic help’ systems that can be uploaded to an existing website, allowing authors to quickly add content and make changes from anywhere in the world using a standard web-browser.

“We’ve revolutionized help authoring software by providing the ability to host dynamic help systems on a local or remote web server”, says James Dean, President of Extreme Ease Software. “Developers and authors can update product documentation from anywhere using a standard web browser. HelpConsole was designed to be used with little or no training required. Many of our customers have told us that they’ve tried other Help Authoring solutions and found HelpConsole to be the most advanced, yet easy to use. We’ve built upon our previous success and have released a more feature-rich product that will suit the world market.”

HelpConsole 2010 includes a comprehensive list of new features including:

– Improved Interface
– Track reader activity
– Full Translation to any Language
– Improved Search Engine
– Publish PDF Manual from Sub-section
– Customizable Reports
– Improved Skin Editor
– Dynamic Tag Properties
– Format Code Blocks (HTML, XML, CSS, C#, VB, Javascript, etc.)
– Import MS Word documents, HTML pages and Robohelp Projects

“We’ve empowered technical writers, help authors and web developers to maintain product help systems and PDF manuals right from their website using a standard browser.” says Andrea Logeman, Marketing Director. “We recognize the dynamic of the global market and to support that demand we have offered a comprehensive interface which is now fully translatable to any language. We’ll continue to listen to customers and customize HelpConsole to suit their needs.”

HelpConsole 2010 is affordably priced for as little as US$99.00 for immediate purchase today from Extreme Ease UbisoftSoftware, and you can try before you buy. Upgrades from HelpConsole 2008 are priced at 50% of the retail price.

MontrealUbisoft has released a new trailer for Prince of Persia: Forgotten Sands. Take a look at the Sand Army and check out some new princely powers. This latest chapter in the Prince of Persia franchise is scheduled for release this May 2010 and is tentatively rated T by the ESRB.

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Open TextWaterloo –  Open Text Corporation has topped the 2010 Branham300 list of software companies in Canada for the second year in a row. The Branham300 is published by the Branham Group, a leading Canadian industry analyst and strategic consulting firm serving the global information technology marketplace.

“Once again, we are very pleased to be recognized by Branham300 as Canada’s leading software company,” said Tom Jenkins, Executive Chairman & Chief Strategy Officer, Open Text. “Open Text has operations throughout the world and we continue to enjoy a great relationship with Canada because of the advantages of being located here. Working with both private and public organizations, this is a great country to continue our investments in digital content management research that will help our users remain globally competitive.”

Tom Jenkins, Executive Chairman & Chief Strategy Officer, Open Text will be speaking at the Branham300 2010 Waterloo Launch Event on April 7 at Wildcraft restaurant where he will address the current state of the Canadian ICT Industry.

In its 17th year, The Branham300 demonstrates the depth and breadth of innovative technology offered by Canadian companies and the contribution these organizations make to the economy both nationally and provincially. To be considered for the rankings of Canadian firms, organizations must be founded and headquartered in Canada, and corporate direction must be determined in Canada.

“Over the past decade, Open Text has experienced consistent positive growth allowing it to grow from a hundred million dollar firm to an industry leader that is approaching the billion dollar revenue mark for the first time in company history,” notes Wayne Gudbranson, President & Chief Executive Officer, Branham Group. “After achieving the rank as Canada’s premier software company on last year’s Branham300, Open Text strengthened its position in 2009. They truly are a shining star within Canada’s ICT Industry.”

HootSuiteVancouverHootSuite has announced that the company will be supporting the expansion of social media into the third dimension. As the number of digital 3D screens increases exponentially during 2010, HootSuite will be providing a wide variety of professional tools for the production, distribution, and screening of 3D social media.

According to their website, “as the world’s first Full 3D Social Media Dashboard, (F3DSMD,) the HootSuite Platform uses an innovative approach blending XAML/WAML to extent the DOM structure. This enables us to deliver a spectacular picture for the ultimate 3D experience. With exclusive technology to drive off-the-shelf LCD panels directly via HTML5 extensions, the HootSuite dashboard is displayed using super-efficient quadruple luminance efficiency technology. This enables any flat screen to achieve a higher illuminating speed, which is ideal for rapid 3D image display.”HootSuite 3D

“HootSuite’s unique F3DSMD technology validates our position as a global leader in 3D home entertainment,” said Ryan Holmes, CEO and Co-Founder of HootSuite. “By building a full line-up of 3D Social Media Dashboards and cultivating alliances with content and device providers, HootSuite will set a higher benchmark in the global 3D entertainment industry.”

In another first for the industry, HootSuite supports the Multi Picture Format, the 3D picture standard that enables users to create and enjoy 3D content effortlessly. While other 3D technologies use line-at-a-time driving methods, Multi Picture Format gives, in principle, common displays an advantage in intermotion reduction. Please see the HootSuite 3D web page for full information on this new innovative feature.

Virgin MobileTorontoVirgin Mobile Canada is taking to the sidewalks to make them a bit safer with a new campaign to encourage government agencies to install Safe Text Zones across Canada. Studies show that the number of sidewalk accidents has increased drastically in the last several years, largely due to the high number of pedestrians who text while they walk. In Canada alone, more than 20,000 pedestrian accidents have occurred while texting since 2009.

“Thousands of Canadians are hurt each month after bumping into street poles and other sidewalk obstructions – and even each other – while texting on their mobile phones,” says Dr. Thumbson, lead researcher with the consumer advocacy group Canadians Raising Awareness for Street-related Harm (C.R.A.S.H.) “Textus interruptus, or a lack of awareness of one’s environment while texting, has drastically increased, especially with today’s youth as they just can’t stop playing with it. To ensure that pedestrians are kept safe, we believe that Safe Text Zones should be installed on major streets across Canada. It’s a real safety issue and it’s time the government took action.”

To test out the concept and prove its success, Virgin Mobile has stepped in to set up prototype Safe Text Zones in Toronto on sections of Queen Street and Yonge Street and on Vancouver’s Robson Street. The zones are equipped with padded street pillars and Virgin Angels armed with padded shields to protect pedestrians on the sidewalks.

“These Safe Text Zones can help drastically reduce the number of injuries related to texting while walking by providing a soft landing for anyone who crashes,” said Nathan Rosenberg, Chief Safe Text-pert, Virgin Mobile Canada. “From thumb sprain to full on neck-twists, texting and walking can be dangerous business. After C.R.A.S.H. brought the various issues to our attention, it was immediately clear that we needed to step in and show our support. We’re hoping that the Safe Text Zones we’ve installed will show both Canadians and our government what an important issue this is.”

To help Canadians stay tuned to Safe Text Zones, Virgin Mobile Canada also launched an iPhone app for Members today. The Safe Text app will alert texters as they enter into a Safe Text Zone so they know when they’re ok to keep typing without having to look up. Canadians can join the cause by texting their message of support to Virgin Mobile hotlines at 647-381-TEXT or 778-TEXT-400. Virgin Mobile has also created a public service announcement which offers further information.

PeregrineLloydminsterIron Will Innovations today announced the official launch of the Peregrine: a wearable glove that allows users to control their favorite games just by touching their fingers together. The innovative gaming Peregrine Gloveperipheral retails for $149.99 and can be ordered online – the company began shipping gloves to fulfill the overwhelming demand for pre-orders today.

“With countless hours of product testing and testimonials by professional gamers, we are proud to announce that PC users have a new tool in their arsenal to best their opponents,” said Brent Baier, CEO of Iron Will Innovations, the think tank founded to bring revolutionary products like The Peregrine to life. “The Peregrine is a game-changer. No more scrambling for keyboard commands during intense battles, just pure unadulterated destruction to get that win.”

The Peregrine is sleek and easy to use. The glove is form-fitting, rugged and hand-washable, and functions with standard keyboard drivers on all operating systems. Gamers can plug the glove in and start playing immediately, or use the software for in-depth customization. Users simply touch their thumb or palm to any of the 18 TouchPoints on the tips and joints of their fingers to perform more than 30 programmable actions.

Anyone who orders the Peregrine will gain access to The Summit – a special members-only section of the website with tips from pro gamers, new key maps for the latest games, and more.

Vancouver – The latest trailer for the A-Team movie, filmed in and around Vancouver has Relic Entertainment’s building being on the receiving end of a grenade gun – maybe they felt that the tank in the reception area’s wall was a real threat… or perhaps they, like the CaveChild, wanted to liberate the life-size Emperor from the Relic offices…

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* Please note that some (but not all) of today’s news bytes may or may not be a product of April 1 tomfoolery – we assume no responsibility for those who take all of today’s news as truth .

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 1st, 2010 at 11:10 am and is filed under Awards, Business News, Digital Products, Mature, National News, New Releases, Peripherals, RPG - MMORPG, Social Media, Software, Studios. 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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