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Merging Media Productions has added three new 2011 Advisory Committee Members who will be assisting with advice and support for the upcoming October 2011 Conference+ Masterclass:

• Katie Jeffs Director Membership Development and Outreach, CMPA (National)
• Jonathan Carringan, President & Co-Founder, MOBCOM Consulting Inc.
• Lynda Brown, CEO/Founder of ZuluMe

Merging Media also extends its gratitude to its 2010 Advisors Betsy Chaly, Ravi Singh, Fiona McAuley and Ted Nugent for their generous support during their 2010 event.

Merging Media Productions Inc. in partnership with the Canadian Media Production Association BC is proud to be a part of SIGGRAPH 2011 this August 7-11 in Vancouver. Merging Media and CMPA will be facilitating the International B2B Matchmaking Program that is being organized by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT) and the Government of British Columbia. If you’d like to meet visiting International Media professionals during the event, here are the full details:

• B2B Matchmaking Program – August 8 – 11

The Business to Business Matchmaking Program will help facilitate meetings between Canadian domestic companies and international/ US companies attending SIGGRAPH. The B2B online platform will allow you to profile your company, view the profiles of other companies and request meetings with international/ US companies of interest. Meeting requests will be coordinated through the Canadian Media Production Association and booked into meeting rooms reserved onsite (unless otherwise specified).

• SIGGRAPH Welcome Reception – Sunday, August 7

Supported by BC Film, DFAIT will be hosting an International Delegate Welcome Reception from 6-8pm on Sunday, August 7th. The welcome reception will offer an opportunity to meet some of the US & International business delegates at SIGGRAPH 2011 as well as local industry and support organizations. This event is invite only with limited capacity, so please indicate your interest to Marc Coderre if you would like to be added to the invite list.

• Transmedia Vancouver Meetup – June 29

The Transmedia Vancouver Meetup Group will be having its first Guest Speaker event featuring Merging Media’s Advisory Board Member Matt Toner of Zeroes to Heroes on Wednesday June 29th, 5pm at CMPA-BC. This is a not to be missed event for those keen on meeting like-minded folk involved in Transmedia.

Submissions are now open for the brand new Desire2Learn Innovation Award in Teaching and Learning which was announced last week by Desire2Learn Incorporated and The Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education at the STLHE 2011 Conference, held at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon last week.

This Award, to be initially awarded in June 2012, has been established to celebrate and recognize innovative approaches that promote learning in new ways at post-secondary institutions. Up to five awards will be presented annually. Recipients will be the basis of a community of knowledge, expertise and innovation that can be drawn upon globally to enhance learning for all.

“With the launch of the Desire2Learn Innovation Award in Teaching and Learning, STLHE is proud to offer the most comprehensive national awards program in the world,” explains Arshad Ahmad, Ph.D., President, STLHE and 3M National Teaching Fellow. “Recognizing innovation not only complements existing STLHE awards in teaching excellence, educational leadership, collaborative learning, and lifetime achievements, but also fits strategically in the Society’s mission to promote learning through change.”

Instructors currently teaching at a post-secondary institution are eligible to apply. A demonstrable record of innovation(s) in areas including pedagogical approaches, teaching methods, course design, curriculum development, assessment methods, various tools and technologies that enhance learning and have had a significant impact on post-secondary education is required.

Ahmad adds, “The Desire2Learn Award also promises to build community as cohorts, who will be recognized each year, will have the opportunity to spend time together, learn from each other and collaborate in future undertakings. Desire2Learn’s legacy of innovation is matched by its enthusiasm to unlock the potential of learners globally. This is one of the many reasons why there is a natural fit between our organizations. Above all, we share a mutual interest in improving the quality of the student experience before anything else. We look forward to a long-term partnership with a common purpose to make a qualitative difference in the lives of our students.”

Patrick Lyons, Director, Instructional Technologies Educational Development Centre / Carleton University OnLine, Carleton University has been appointed as the inaugural coordinator. Lyons is well known in the Canadian post-secondary community as an advocate for effective teaching and use of technology.

“STLHE is the most important organization in Canada supporting the development, recognition and encouragement of excellent teaching and learning practices,” notes Lyons. “The Desire2Learn Innovation Award in Teaching and Learning is a powerful and concrete opportunity to encourage and promote innovative learning initiatives in post- secondary institutions across North America and from around the world.”

“We are pleased to be partnering with The Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher in Education in recognition of teaching that is truly innovative,” states John Baker, President & CEO, Desire2Learn. “Through this award, instructors who are providing a notable and sustained impact on student learning and development will be acknowledged for their inventive approaches to education. These individuals emulate our mission of transforming teaching and learning.”

Indie Ink Publishing announced an unusual contest today as part of the launch of its new young adult contemporary fantasy novel release, Strange Places, by Saskatoon’s Jefferson Smith.

Raised as a modern-day kitchen slave in an orphanage run by child-loathing nuns, and now stalked by disturbing strangers, the novel’s 13-year-old heroine Tayna gambles everything on a desperate journey to discover her origins that will lead her to the far corners of two strange worlds: one filled with shopping malls and televisions, the other with Gnomes, Djin and magic.

One part book launch, one part community celebration, and with a healthy dollop of strange, the launch promises to be memorable. How else would you describe a night that goes beyond plain readings, and includes a dramatic interpretation by school kids, an original musical score, an original pop song about events in the book (written by Jefferson and his daughters), and even an original new drink recipe from the book called boh-cho?

“We’re so proud to launch this amazing book and series,” said Indie Ink founder Suzanne Paschall, “Not to mention this bizarre contest Jefferson has dreamed up.” The series is called Finding Tayna, so readers are encouraged to follow Jeff online and at appearances, where he’ll be giving out clues throughout the year. All you have to do is find Tayna. What makes the contest so unusual is the prize: In addition to traditional prize packages, two winners will be immortalized as non-trivial characters in the second book of the series (planned for 2012 release).

“Jefferson’s wonderful sense of fun and magic has involved young people from the beginning,” Paschall says. “His eldest daughter was the inspiration for the protagonist, and all three daughters formed the dinner-table editorial committee, reacting to each chapter as it was written. When a fourth daughter was born, the family decided that there could only be one name for her: Tayna, the book’s heroine.”

Jefferson, a creativity theorist at the University of Saskatchewan, carried this inclusive style of creation into local schools, too, workshopping scenes with classes and inviting students to critique the book in advance, resulting in writing that captures an authentic youth voice, making it unique among the plethora of other young adult fantasy books written by adults.

Advance praise from independent readers is already coming in. Agnitha, 12, from Saskatoon says, “Holy crap, this book freaking powns!” Connor, 11, from Austin, Texas adds, “A strong beginning with powerful, flowing ideas. Exciting and suspenseful throughout…a wonderful novel for experienced young readers.”

The book officially launches tonight, June 21 (7:30 p.m.) at McNally Robinson and Friday, June 25 (9:00 a.m.) at Caswell Community School.  A list of sales outlets can be found on findingtayna.com. The hard cover book retails for $22.95. Strange Places will also be available in e-book format in all major online e-book stores.

Kobo has announced that the company’s Wireless eReader has landed in the Caribbean through a new partnership with Nigel R Khan Bookseller. The innovative bookseller – with nine locations in Trinidad and Tobago – is committed to bringing the latest technology to readers. The introduction of the Kobo Wireless eReader provides the large chain with an open and enjoyable device to support local readers and the islands’ tourism trade. The partnership will enable the book chain’s customers to engage in reading on a whole new level with Kobo, as well as attract a new reading crowd with the technological advancements Kobo brings to eReading.

As the southernmost island in the Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago’s population of 1.3 million boasts a literacy rate of 92.8%, making it the perfect place for Kobo to reach avid readers and encourage them to start eReading with the device of their choice. Nigel R Khan Bookseller has proven their overarching commitment to reading and technology, adopting new approaches that enhance the joy of reading for their customers.

“Along with the excitement of bringing our passion for eReading to new shores, we expect to see great success with the launch of the Kobo Wireless eReader in Nigel R Khan Bookseller stores throughout Trinidad and Tobago,” said Todd Humphrey, Executive Vice President of Business Development, Kobo. “Nigel R Khan Bookseller is really leading the way by bringing the latest technology to the Caribbean and introducing eReading to their customers. We look forward to serving Trinidad and Tobago’s growing eReading community and the country’s technology-focused demographic.”

The rich mystery and puzzle-solving fun of Big Fish Games’ Mystery Case Files™ game series soon will be available on the Wii™ console for the first time. With the June 27 launch of the Mystery Case Files™: The Malgrave Incident™ game – available exclusively for Wii – players can enjoy a mysterious adventure in their own living rooms, as well as test their sleuthing skills together with up to three friends in new multiplayer modes. Solo or as a group, players of any experience level can solve their way through a series of fun hidden-object puzzles as they uncover the secret behind the peculiar purple substance scattered across the enigmatic Malgrave Island.

Mystery Case Files: The Malgrave Incident follows a wealthy recluse named Winston Malgrave who claims to have made an extraordinary discovery. His private island is home to a strange dust that may have the power to cure many of the world’s ailments. When he requests the aid of the master detective of the Mystery Case Files detective agency to help him save his beloved wife, Sarah, he opens the door into a world of shadowy intrigue and closely guarded family secrets. Is there more to this eccentric client’s case than meets the eye?

Using the Wii Remote™ controller, players must explore Malgrave Island and solve multi-layered hidden-object puzzles to advance the story. They can play the main adventure on their own or cooperatively with up to three friends. For another layer of fun, players can choose from three competitive multiplayer modes: in Swift Pick, players must find certain hidden objects before their opponents do; in Tick Tick Pick, they must find a hidden object and pass the ticking time bomb to an opponent before it explodes; in Classic Pick, whoever finds the most hidden objects is the winner. Additional controllers are required for multiplayer modes and are sold separately.

“Anyone who loves puzzle games or great detective stories will savor Mystery Case Files: The Malgrave Incident from start to finish,” said Ron Bertram, Nintendo of Canada’s vice-president and general manager. “The ability to play with or against others makes it easy for friends and family to throw a mystery party anytime they want.”

Each hidden-object scene in Mystery Case Files: The Malgrave Incident comes with a list of objects that players must locate. For the first time in the Mystery Case Files series, scenes have three visual layers, inviting players to scroll and zoom with the Wii Remote as they search for objects. Each scene also contains a special inventory item that allows players to access new areas of Malgrave Island and solve additional puzzles. An on-screen hint button can also be used to highlight the area around hard-to-find objects.

Canadian Satellite Radio Holdings Inc., the parent company of XM Canada, and Sirius Canada Inc., are pleased to announce that the organizations have completed the merger announced in November 2010. Operating as SiriusXM Canada, the newly merged entity will have more than 1.8 million subscribers and form one of the country’s leading media companies.   The combined company’s stock will continue to be traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol “XSR”.

“Today’s news brings us to an exciting conclusion of a process we started late last year,” commented Mark Redmond, President and CEO of SiriusXM Canada. “With this combination we have created a powerful Canadian media company with more than 1.8 million subscribers that is among the largest subscription entertainment companies in Canada. Today, SiriusXM Canada is stronger financially and well positioned to succeed in the highly competitive audio entertainment industry. Our increased size will bring a renewed focus to our strategy to lead the in-car entertainment experience as well as mobile and online listening.”

“While both companies have enjoyed much success since the launch of the category in 2005, the growth opportunities for SiriusXM Canada are tremendous,” noted John Bitove, Chairman of SiriusXM Canada. “Our partnerships with all of the major automotive manufacturers will be a key catalyst to our growth.”

As a combined organization, SiriusXM Canada will have a total subscriber base of over 1.8 million.  On a trailing 12-month basis (ending August 31^st, 2010), the combined company will have pro forma revenues of approximately $200 million, and pro forma adjusted EBITDA of approximately $3.7 million. Not only is the merger expected to yield synergies of approximately $20 million within 18 months, the company will benefit from accelerated growth and a laser-focus on the subscriber experience.

The merged company will continue to have a strong presence at more than 3,000 retail locations, an expanding online/mobile offering, and its radios will be factory installed in more than 800,000 vehicles sold in Canada this year.

Canadian consumers will benefit from this merger in several ways over the coming months.  To start, SiriusXM Canada will be launching a new channel dedicated to Aboriginal content by September of this year. “We’re excited about the launch of this new channel which further demonstrates our commitment to the diverse cultural makeup of Canadian content,” said Redmond.

“We also look forward to the introduction of an interoperable receiver later this year, allowing customers to subscribe to either or both of the two services.  SiriusXM Canada has the most exciting audio entertainment content available anywhere. We’ll continue to listen to what our subscribers want from us, we’ll deliver the best music and entertainment listening experience anywhere,” said Redmond.

The merger will have no immediate effect on the current service coverage or existing radios, and in the near term, customers can expect to interact with each company as they always have.

“We will work quickly to integrate the two companies, creating a best-in-class management team and employee base,” said Redmond.  “The opportunity in front of us is huge; for our shareholders, our employees, our partners, and most of all, our customers.”

As consideration for all of the issued and outstanding shares of Sirius, Sirius XM Canada issued from treasury to the former shareholders of Sirius (the “Sirius Shareholders”), the following:

• Canadian Broadcasting Corporation: 53,570,361 Class B Voting Shares (“Class B Shares”) (approximately 19.90% voting interest);
• Slaight Communications Inc.: 53,570,361 Class B Shares (approximately 19.90% voting interest); and
• Sirius XM Radio Inc.: 25,248,444 Class A Subordinated Voting Shares and 30,967,680 Class B Shares (approximately 25.00% voting interest).

The approximate ownership interest in Sirius XM Canada following the closing of the Merger is represented by the ownership interests of the Sirius Shareholders set out above as well as an approximate 30.50% voting interest held by CSRI Inc., the balance being widely held.

Quebec’s D-BOX Technologies Inc. has signed a new agreement with Cobb Theatres to expand its presence in the Southeastern U.S. and equip three new locations with its D-BOX MFX Seats.

Scheduled to debut the immersive movie experience this summer, Cobb Theatres’ Dolphin 19 at Dolphin Mall in Miami, Florida is one of the best performing locations in the U.S. and will offer 36 D-BOX MFX Seats. Additional locations include Cobb’s Hollywood 16 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and Lakeside 18 in Lakeland, Florida, each with 34 D-BOX MFX Seats.

“We are pleased to announce that D-BOX will soon be available at one of the top grossing theatres in the U.S.,” said President and CEO of D-BOX Technologies, Claude Mc Master. “This is a significant advancement for D-BOX, one that increases market share while presenting D-BOX on a larger scale.”

“The D-BOX experience has proved highly successful at our current theatres and we are looking forward to expanding on that, rolling out the motion technology at multiple locations,” said Chief Operating Officer of Cobb Theatres, Jeremy P. Welman.

McAfee has extended its mobile device portfolio for consumers with McAfee Mobile Security and McAfee WaveSecure Tablet Edition.  These mobile device offerings change the mobile security landscape by offering security safeguards that help consumers secure their mobile devices for personal use, commerce and work.

A recent Leger Marketing survey of 1,500 Canadians, 18 years of age or older, was completed over the period May 24-26, 2011 for McAfee Canada. A probability sample of the same size would yield a margin of error of +/- 2.5 per cent, 19 times out of 20. The report results showed that Canadians overwhelmingly want security technologies to protect their mobile devices. Eighty three per cent (83%) of Canadians who use a mobile device want some (36%) or full (47%) protections (e.g. ability to remotely lock the device from unauthorized access; ability to remotely wipe the device’s memory; ability to locate the device using GPS technology; and ability to back up the device) to secure their mobile devices. Only 17 per cent of respondents do not feel the security of mobile devices is important.

According to a mobile security report released last week by McAfee and Carnegie Mellon University, titled, “Mobility and Security: Dazzling Opportunities, Profound Challenges,” respondents named their top three security concerns to be the loss of personal or work data through the accidental loss of a device, physical theft of the device, or loss of their data due to their device “crashing.” In addition, close to half of all respondents said they were using their smartphones both for personal use and work, demonstrating that consumers want more than just personal device security.

McAfee Mobile Security software, available for both smartphones and tablets, provides a comprehensive mobile security solution by combining three leading McAfee mobile security products:  WaveSecure, VirusScan Mobile and SiteAdvisor® for Android. It is ideal for users who want protection for their data and privacy in the event of loss or theft, protection against the growing threats of viruses and spyware targeting mobile devices and protection from Web- based threats, such as phishing sites that probe for personal and sensitive information. Read the rest of this entry »

Intertainment Media Inc., creators of real time experiential translation platform Ortsbo, has begun the full roll-out of  its multi-language application for the world’s most popular email platform, Microsoft Outlook. Users who register at Ortsbo.com for the free trial of Ortsbo for Outlook, or “O4O” will receive the ability to send and receive emails in over 50 languages. Later this year, Ortsbo will release Ortsbo 2.0 expanding the entire platform of services with 80 languages and enhanced email, online, mobile, portable, translation and learning based language services.

All currently registered and new O4O users who register by early August 2011 will be eligible to participate in Ortsbo’s Cruise Into Translation promotion and have the opportunity to win 1 of 5 trips on the KISS KRUISE in October 2011. Ortsbo is making available up to 10 Million copies of O4O beta for initial free trials and users who choose to convert to the full version of O4O will be entitled to initial introductory pricing of as low as $29.95 US for the application.

Ortsbo has also begun to ramp up its activation of users on its cloud computing based Windows Azure Platform, providing global users of Ortsbo the ability to connect through any desktop, mobile or portable computer browser. Ortsbo for Azure is a HTML based platform and does not require any downloading, allowing users in both consumer and commercial settings to use the program. Recent tests of the updated platform have seen the daily traffic accelerate by up to 150% over the previous records set for Ortsbo engagement and without the time delays experienced with the Silverlight version of Ortsbo. The Company is confident that Windows Azure will allow virtually unlimited global connections and immediate response for the Ortsbo platform. Ortsbo plans to release additional user statistics as it completes testing of the new platform. Read the rest of this entry »

The next generation of connected entertainment continues with the launch of the Shaw Gateway experience for Edmonton customers, who join  Shaw Gateway customers in Calgary, where the new program was launched; other Canadian markets will have access to Gateway soon.

The Gateway brings customers a shared PVR experience and more than 1,200 HD Video On Demand titles. The PVR supports the recording of up to six programs at once, while playing back up to three previously recorded programs – all in HD.

“The Gateway is the first product of its kind in Canada and brings customers a totally new way of experiencing technology and connectivity,” said Peter Bissonnette, President, Shaw Communications Inc. “We’re excited to launch the product to our Edmonton customers and provide them with the ultimate in entertainment with the Shaw Gateway.”

Customers can seamlessly pick up recordings on another TV and resume playback without missing a beat. The Gateway also enables customers to maximize HD/SD recordings with Shaw’s PVR expanders. An enriched Program Guide with content filters and enhanced search is one of the Gateway’s key features. Customers can access VOD titles through a live TV storefront, along with on-screen video games and live Shaw Pay Per View events.

In the coming months more features will be available on the Shaw Gateway, including:

• Integration of web content, providing customer access to Internet content through their TVs
• Remote PVR scheduling that allows customers to set up program recordings online and on their handheld devices
• Global Content Search of live TV, recorded TV, VOD and PPV content, and PC files on PCs and laptops
• Home sharing allowing customers to share pictures and content from their computer onto their television

The Shaw Gateway brings together broadband and HD technology with DLNA (Digital Life Network Alliance) standards to deliver the industry’s best in-home entertainment. The product launched in Calgary on May 3, and will be available in Vancouver and throughout the country during summer 2011.

The Gateway is available with the Shaw Easy Own program for $17 per month over 36 months or $598.