Winter Inspired Holiday Headphones

Let’s face it, we take our music seriously and take it everywhere – rain, shine or even in the dead of cold. So with the holiday season right around the corner here are a few winter inspired holiday headphone gift ideas, ideal for keeping the tunes streaming and some to take and make calls when the temperature drops below zero.


Wireless Earwarmers

At first glance, the 180s Earwarmers look like simple earmuffs, but under that insulated poly-spandex shell with polyester lining is a Bluetooth enabled set of wireless headphones, so you’re just as likely to find them in a place that sells gadgets as one that offers outdoor wear.

They don’t have a lot of bells and whistles but they also don’t add a lot of bulk to your winter attire. But don’t let that fool you. Under the padding are high definition speakers plus they are Siri and Google Now friendly so your hands can keep more time in their mitts. They are also designed to sit behind your head than over the top so you could call them “toque-compatible”. The headband is adjustable plus they fold down for quick storage.  SEE FULL POST at G4TV Canada.

Portable foot-powered Drumi does your laundry

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We see more devices becoming a lot more portable, but how about a washing machine?  It’s called Drumi, a new Canadian invention that looks a little like Star Wars’ R2-D2 without the arms that will clean your clothes. The cool thing, is that it requires no power, electrical or otherwise and has no carbon emissions. It just needs a little water, a little detergent and some good foot energy.

Drumi is the brainchild of Yi Jiang who discovered the need when he realized the challenge of getting his laundry done living in downtown Toronto. Back in 2012, he began developing it while attending OCAD (Ontario College of Art and Design) as part of his industrial design thesis project. Read full post at Canoe Tech Blog.

Slate – World’s 1st portable nutritional smart scale

SlateScale A Calgary company is weighing in on the health market by looking at bringing to market, through a crowd funding campaign, Slate Scale, the world’s first portable smart scale for nutrition tracking. Slate Scale is battery operated and designed to pair with your smart phone and when partnered with its companion app, becomes your personal dietitian.

The concept is simple. First you weigh your food (up to 1 kg) on the stainless steel scale. Then, you enter into the app what it is, or in some cases you may be able to use a barcode. The system then taps into a nutritional database, which determines the food’s macronutrients, and in turn it logs the item’s weight along with its calories, carbs, proteins and fat content.  Read more…at Canoe Tech Blog

Paul Brandt country superstar takes Square on tour

SqureStandFor the average consumer the headline may sound a wee bit strange, but for entrepreneurs, small business owners and some of us geeks, we recognize Square not as an “old-fashion” way to refer to a “conservative” person, but as one of the easiest and low-cost ways to accept credit card as payment for goods and services. And now, Canadian Country Music sensation Paul Brandt has jumped on that bandwagon and is partnering with Square once again for his upcoming Road Trip Tour he’s co-headlining with Dean Brody.Paul with Duck

The Square system consists of a small square reader, a dongle that plugs into the headphone jack of your smartphone or tablet that when used with the Square Register app will allow almost anyone to accept payment by Visa, MasterCard, American Express or the Discover Card.  It’s also available as Square Stand that allows you to incorporate your iPad and features an integrated reader and additional features and point-of-sale functionality.  Read Full Post with a little surprise at Canoe Tech Blog.

Edmonton’s Jobber 1st app in Square Marketplace Canadian launch

JobberEDMONTON AB—March 24, 2015—Jobber announced today its new integration with Square, a company that brings simple payment solutions to small businesses.

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Young Toronto entrepreneur takes on Candy Crush turning playtime into paytime

A young Toronto entrepreneur is giving away a minimum of $1,000 per week with the hopes of attracting enough players to play his games and build his user base and then in turn earn ad dollars to take on the likes of Candy Crush. And unlike other revenue models where you need to pay-to-play, this model is Free-2-Win; there are no in-app purchases. And the more you play, the more chances you have to win.

“Our mandate with Big Time is to change the way mobile users play games,” says Jeremy Zuckerman, Founder of WINR Games. “The games are fun on their own, but the opportunity to win cash only adds to the appeal of the app. We’re the first and only free mobile gaming app to offer a cash prize. Our aim is to pave the way for the future of mobile gaming.”

And they’ve already given away lots of green, almost $20K to date. READ Full article at: CanoeTech Blog

Kelowna a cool place for a mid winter or anytime getaway

KELOWNA, BC, Jan 21, 2015/ Troy Media/ – Sometimes the best trips are the ones you never planned on taking. We had some vacation rental time that was soon to expire and, much to my surprise, I was able to exchange a one-week stay in a tiny Puerto Vallarta studio condo for a two-bedroom unit at the Delta Grand Okanagan Resort and Conference Centre in Kelowna, British Columbia. Of course, there was a catch; it was for mid to late February and we aren’t really the skiing types.

For those of you not familiar with the city of Kelowna, it’s located in central B.C. on the eastern shore of Lake Okanagan and is the Okanagan Valley’s largest city, with a population of over 120,000. Its summers are hot, averaging around 27C (81F) and winters mild, with temperatures averaging just below freezing.  Read full article at Troy Media.

 

App Store price hikes in Canada encourages bargain hunting

FREEAPP SCREEN

As Apple hikes the price of those just under a buck apps in Canada to $1.19, it looks like for now, the $0.99 app is a thing of the past  The cause of the increase, no doubt, is due to our weaker Loonie, closing Tuesday at $0.8365 against the US Greenback. And it was just a matter of time before the exchange rate differential caught up with pricing north of the border.

I guess it was great while it lasted. With the same prices on both sides of the border, we in essence for a short time were getting apps almost 20% cheaper than our friends to the south. It was a nice little bonus considering that historically, even when the dollar was at parity with the U.S., we were paying significantly more for many of the same products up here. Read more… At Canoe Tech Blog

Retail Collective offers interactive in person shopping experience

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Some things like books, gadgets, and auto parts are great to buy on-line – it’s convenient, quick, and almost always automated. On the other hand, things like clothing, shoes, and other items that require personalized fitting or are very touchy-feely are best bought in person. But the in-store experience often lacks the ease at which an on-line transaction can be completed.

Read more…At Canoe Tech Blog

Get Set Games opts for App Store exclusive for new Mega Jump 2

megajump2-iphone4-05

Redford and his friends are now jumping yet again in Mega Jump 2, the sequel to the smash hit jumping game Mega Jump that hit #1 in 28 countries. This time things will not only be better, they’ll be a little different or a lot different depending on how you look at it.

Read more…AT CANOE TECH BLOG