CNM Short Takes

Photochannel pairs up with KatzRetail multimedia vending device operator Photochannel Networks Inc. (PNI) has signed an agreement with Katz Group Canada Ltd. – operators of the Rexall, Pharma Plus, Guardian and IDA pharmacy chains in Canada, among others – that will see Katz use PNI’s Digital Media Platform to build an online photo service. Customers will be able to upload their digital photographs to the Rexall website and order prints for pick-up at any Rexall, Pharma Plus or Herbie’s location. The site can also be used to host images for sharing and archiving. The Vancouver firm also recently announced another deal with another retailer, Visions Electronics of Calgary. Under that agreement, PNI will put its point-of-sale pre-paid card activation system – created in collaboration with InComm – to sell photo finishing cards in Visions Electronics’ 25 retail locations. In addition to these two most recent signings, PNI also has retail partnerships in place with big names such as Black’s Photography and Wal-Mart Canada. AirG: mobile social networks "exploding"Vancouver’s AirG, a provider of social networking and community software for wireless networks, said recently it added a staggering 27,000 new users a day during the last three months of 2005. More than 2.5 million members joined the AirG network of communities available through mobile network operators worldwide in the last quarter of the year. "Our mobile community has begun to reach a tipping point," AirG director Frederick Ghahramani said in a media release. "It is really exciting to see how our community users form groups and interact with seven million other users from around the world." The release goes on to state that the bulk of the new customers came through organic growth at existing AirG partners rather than aggressive new rollouts. More than 85 mobile network operators worldwide offer AirG communities. The Matador to get a push from iGotcha MediaMontreal wireless hotspot-and-hardware provider iGotcha Media recently announced that Alliance Atlantis Vivafilm has chosen its Webpads – stripped-down portable computers free for in-store use at iGotcha’s partner locations – to advertise its upcoming feature film, The Matador. Users at more than 40 Webpad-enabled cafes, restaurants and health clubs in Quebec can watch trailers for the movie on the devices, as well as enter a contest to win passes to the Montreal premier of the movie. CryptoLogic renews key customer contractOnline gaming software developer CryptoLogic Inc. of Toronto stated in a media release that ukbetting plc – Europe’s largest online sports bookmaker – has agreed to renew an existing contract. The Canadian firm’s WagerLogic Ltd. subsidiary will continue to provide ukbetting with its Internet poker solution through 2009 for use on ukbetting’s two online properties, www.ukbetting.com and www.totalbet.com. The sites will also continue to use WagerLogic’s casino software through 2008. With nearly nine million monthly visitors to its properties, ukbetting is an important client of WagerLogic, but the relationship has proved mutually beneficial, according to ukbetting CEO Eric Semel, who said in a release that the partnership "has contributed to a more than 100% year-over-year increase in our poker and casino revenue." Atlantic Technology Centre lands another tenantCharlottetown’s Atlantic Technology Centre (ATC) recently welcomed its latest tenant, Telos Productions Inc., a multimedia producer working in nearly every discipline. Telos’ move coincides with the beginning of its work on The Solution, a video game based around a future political conspiracy, and the firm’s five-person staff will settle into the ATC to work on refining the game’s story and structure, as well as conduct market research, design and build demonstrations, and develop characters. The ATC now boasts 25 high-tech and multimedia companies, with a combined full-time staff of more than 325. EA announces Revealing animation contestVideo game developer and publisher Electronic Arts (EA) has announced the second in a series of Canadian competitions aimed at showcasing emerging game designers’ talents. Reveal 06 is an open call for graduating art and 3D animation students to submit their work for a chance to win a $20,000 grand prize for both the student and his or her educational institution. First, second and third-place prizes will also be up for grabs. The top 25 entrants reaching the final judging stage will be flown to Vancouver to present their work to an adjudicating panel, including EA chief visual officer Henry LaBounta, a 20-year veteran of the gaming and digital effects industries. An additional incentive: 17 of the 25 finalists from last year were eventually offered jobs with EA Canada. Canadian Securites Institute gets podcastingThe Canadian Securities Institute, which administers the Canadian Securities Course (CSC) for financial services professionals, is asking students to lend their ears to Voice of Reason, a pilot project involving podcasting. Course material and other information based on the CSC will be made available to a test group of students through a series of 10 podcasts, covering a variety of securities-related topics. ATI unveils receiver for HTDV on PCsMarkham ON graphics processor maker ATI Technologies Inc. took the opportunity offered by the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to present a preview of its ATI OCUR (open cable uni-directional receiver) product. The new receiver is designed to work with Media Centre PCs running the forthcoming Vista operating system from Microsoft Corp. ATI OCUR will allow users to receive HDTV signals on their home computers, as well as traditional cable broadcasts and free-to-air HD signals. INTERNATIONAL BRIEFSOnline gaming standards working, eCOGRA saysA watchdog working for eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance (eCOGRA), a London UK-based organization that bills itself as "the independent standards authority for the online gaming industry," says the body’s standards are having an effect on fairness of play at online casinos and other venues. Tex Rees, eCOGRA’s fair gaming advocate, said in her 2005 annual report that more than 95% of the 336 complaints the body had the authority to hear were dealt with within a 48-hour period. Seventy percent of the problems were due to terms and conditions or support errors. While resolution was swift, the number of complaints saw an upturn in the last quarter of the year, with 114 being registered in the final three months of 2005. Rees said the year-end increase in volume was likely due to eCOGRA’s efforts to publicize the existence of a complaints mechanism at its approved sites. New US multimedia-in-sports show to launch in JulyAn trade show geared expressly to applications of interactive and electronic media in sports will launch this summer. Hunt Valley MD-based C4 Events, whose existing conferences cater to the financial services industry, is rolling out C4 Sports, a three-day event that features an in-depth look at the four cornerstones of sports technology: content, convergence, communication and competition. The firm says the show is designed for representatives from professional and semi-professional sports teams and franchises as well as their facilities (arenas and stadiums, for example), but also media producers and distributors working across all platforms and all three screens: TV, desktop and mobile. C4 Sports runs July 17-19 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. Snowboarding jacket offers on-the-hill connectivityMotorola Inc. of Libertyville IL and Burlington VT’s Burton Snowboards have teamed up to create the Audex series of technology-enabled jackets for winter sports. The Audex line boasts Bluetooth wireless connectivity and a built-in microphone and headphones in the hood. Users simply hook up a Bluetooth-capable mobile phone and a portable digital device, then they can listen to music and take calls on their phone through the jacket with the touch of a button, thanks to a control panel on the sleeve. Each Audex jacket costs around US$599, and the two companies plan to expand the Audex line with helmets and padded hats later this year.

CNM Short Takes

Broadcast | January 20, 2006

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