New artifact from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows™ film set added to Harry Potter: The Exhibition at Ontario Science Centre

Tickets On Sale Now at www.ontariosciencecentre.ca/harrypotter

July 23, 2010 @ 10:15AM

“Yorkdale is dedicated to providing shoppers with a luxurious experience at every single touch point and our new mobile app ensures customers have the same experience online as they do in our shopping centre,” said Claire Santamaria, Marketing Director at Yorkdale. “The new digital platform has changed the way our customers shop – we want to ensure we’re offering the tools to make their experience at Yorkdale even more enjoyable and convenient.”

From the moment they plan their trip to the minute they leave Yorkdale, the App of Luxury provides customers with the ultimate shopping experience.

    -  Hassle-free parking: Find the best available place to park and
       maximize time inside the shopping centre! Check out the parking
       occupancy levels per section, coded in red, yellow or green. For those
       who like direct service, reach the valet with the touch of a button
       and have the car waiting upon arrival.

    -  Stores Galore: This easy-to-navigate store directory allows shoppers
       to sort stores by category, favourites and promotions. Shoppers can
       also access detailed store information including the location within
       Yorkdale, phone number and more.

    -  Map it out: Shoppers can now find their way to Yorkdale using a GPS
       feature available on the app. Upon arrival at Yorkdale, the new
       interactive mall map helps shoppers make their way through the
       shopping centre using a pin drop feature.

    -  Fashionistas!: Check out what's hot and trendy this season by clicking
       on the Fashion button. Shoppers can look up fashion albums to see
       what's new at Yorkdale retailers. They can also share their favourite
       fashion photos with friends via email or save the images to their
       Smartphone to ensure they aren't forgotten during their next shopping
       trip!

    -  Social-izing: The Yorkdale social media centre provides shoppers with
       easy access to Yorkdale's Twitter, Facebook and YouTube videos. Link
       to the latest news and updates from Yorkdale and fellow shoppers.

Downloading the Yorkdale mobile app is simple and easy and best of all, it’s free! Shoppers can download the app by SMS texting the word “Yorkdale” to 22333 (standard text and data rates apply). Smartphone users can also visit Yorkdale.com for tips on how to download the app.

Yorkdale.com gets a makeover

As part of its digital makeover, Yorkdale has also re-launched its website. The revamped site includes an easy-to-use predictive brand and keyword search function, live parking updates, promotions, 3D navigation and an interactive shopping centre directory with a mapping feature. Shoppers can connect to social media and will soon be able to chat live online with live customer service representatives.

Shoppers can also find out what’s hot and where to buy the latest and greatest in women’s and men’s fashion with tips and trends provided by Yorkdale’s Fashion Director, Robin Keeler.

WeTransfer is fast, basically as fast as your internet connection can handle. Your files are automatically scanned for viruses before they’re safely stored on our servers, so there’s no chance of unwanted surprises at the other end.

Receiver becomes sender

What we hoped for has actually happened. In only four months, we measured that every third receiver becomes a sender.

So what’s all the fuss about? In a nutshell:

    -   It's 100% Free

    -   2GB limit per transfer

    -   No registration

    -   Easy to use

    -   Send multiple files at once

    -   Innovative design

    -   No spam

WeTransfer has pioneered a truly innovative, visually attractive and non-disturbing advertising model which displays stylish wallpapers for various brands. We already have a strategic partnership with the world’s largest entrepreneurial network E-factor, and Russia’s leading telco MTS . On top of that, we’ve just won the “Best Newcomer” award at The Next Web Dutch Startup Awards and WeTransfer has been selected as an Official Honoree for the Best Visual Design – Function category in The 14th Annual Webby Awards.

Right now we’re busy developing new ways to improve our service and a desktop application is being tested.

Who are We?

WeTransfer is a team, based in San Fransisco and Amsterdam. We’ve been active and trendsetting, on and around the web, for the last 15 years. We seek to impress our customers, our co-workers and our partners. We transfer.

http://www.wetransfer.com

This result emerges as the issue of foreign ownership heats up amid Parliamentary hearings which follow a controversial decision by the Harper government to license a foreign-controlled cell phone provider, overturning a decision of the independent regulator, the CRTC, in the process.

The research was commissioned by ACTRA, the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada, and Friends of Canadian Broadcasting, three of Canada’s leading voices in culture and communications.

“Canadians are sending a clear message to government – keep these key industries under our control. Canada is not for sale,” said Peter Murdoch, Vice-President Canada’s largest media union, the CEP.

Harris/Decima found that 64% of Canadians are more likely to vote for candidates who oppose giving control of Canadian media to foreign interests, up slightly from November 2007 when this question was last posed. Only 21% are more likely to vote for a candidate who is in favour of allowing foreign companies to own more of Canada’s broadcasting and telephone companies.

Women are somewhat much more likely than men (69% vs. 58%) to support a candidate who is opposed to allowing foreign interests to own and control Canadian media and communications companies, a gap that is evident throughout the survey results.

“At a time when the country could be thrown into an election at any moment, the poll contains a strong message to politicians who may favour opening Canada’s media to foreign ownership. There is no political upside for any party to support the sell-off of our media,” said Ian Morrison of the watchdog group friends of Canadian Broadcasting.

A clear majority of Canadians are against allowing foreign ownership in the telephone industry (55%), cable (54%) and broadcasting (57%), according to the survey.

The Harper government has indicated it will allow foreign companies to own and control Canadian telecommunications providers, arguing it is possible to permit foreign ownership in this sector without affecting the broadcasting sector.

However, given the converged nature of the telecommunications and broadcasting industries, with telephone companies owning broadcasters and cable companies offering phone service, many informed observers believe it is impossible to open one sector to foreign ownership and not the other because they are direct competitors.

“The Harper government cannot gut foreign ownership laws for telecom companies without their direct competitors in the cable industry demanding equal treatment. Like cascading dominos, the broadcasters will follow suit and soon, several generations of hard work to maintain our cultural sovereignty through Canadian ownership and control of broadcasting will go down the drain,” said Ian Morrison, spokesperson for the Friends of Canadian Broadcasting.

The survey shows that Canadians believe the outcome of foreign control of Canadian media and communications companies will be less Canadian content. Half (48%) of respondents believe Cancon would decrease under foreign owners, while only 13% believe Canadian programs would increase and 36% believe Cancon levels would remain the same.

Harris/Decima also found 81% of Canadians (50% strongly) agree that it is important that the Canadian government work to maintain and build a culture and identity distinct from the United States.

“Voters told us they want action from Ottawa to build a culture and identity distinct from the U.S. Politicians of all stripes need to take note; it would be wise to listen to Canadians before they agree to relax foreign ownership or face the music in the next election,” said Stephen Waddell, National Executive Director of ACTRA.

The data was gathered between March 31 and April 12, 2010 through Harris/Decima’s weekly teleVox, the company’s national omnibus survey. Results are based on a sample of 2,019 Canadians, and the corresponding margin of error is +/-2.2%, 19 times out of 20.

Q1. Please tell me if you agree or disagree with the following statement.

It is important that the Canadian government work to maintain and build a culture and identity distinct from the United States.

Q2. As you may know, there has been some discussion about foreign ownership in the communications and broadcasting systems in Canada. Generally speaking, what is your reaction to foreign ownership in:

    a) Telephone companies
    b) Cable companies
    c) Media companies

Q3. Currently, the federal government does not allow foreign companies to control Canadian telephone, cable and media companies. If foreign companies gained permission and acquired control of Canadian broadcasting and cable companies, would you expect Canadian content on radio and TV to increase, decrease or stay the same?

Q4. As you may know, there may be a federal election sometime in the next 12 months. In the upcoming federal election, are you more likely to vote for a candidate who supports or opposes allowing foreign corporations to own more of Canada’s broadcasting and telephone companies?

Q5. Some people say Canada’s broadcasting and communications companies should be able to sell a majority interest to foreign companies in order to be globally competitive.

Others say that Canadian broadcasting and communications are too important for cultural and national security reasons to allow ownership and control by foreign companies.

Which of these two views most closely reflects your own opinion?

With its enhanced memory, the new Rogers Cisco(R) Explorer(R) 8642HD PVR provides greater high definition (HD) recording flexibility, improved resolution, near-future enhancements and new playback features. Its hard drive enables customers to record and store up to 62 hours of HD or 280 hours of standard definition (SD) content. Rogers customers now have the freedom to watch, record and replay more HD programming than ever before.

“We understand that for our customers, entertainment is about the experience for the whole family and at the centre of it is often the PVR,” says John Boynton, Executive Vice President, Marketing, Rogers Communications. “The new Rogers Cisco(R) Explorer(R) 8642HD PVR is designed with the whole family in mind so that they can each enjoy their own entertainment on their time. No longer will they have to deal with record-delete issues. They can watch what they want, when they want.”

The popularity and demand of HD programming, products and services continue to grow as six million households, or nearly half of all Canadian households, now have an HD TV set. Canadians also want to watch what they want, when they want as approximately two million households now have a PVR. With the new HD PVR box, Rogers customers have access to the ultimate, anytime TV experience and most HD choices.(1)

Feature enhancements of the new Rogers 8642HD PVR series include:

    -  NEW - 500GB internal hard drive with 280 hours of SD OR 62 hours of HD
       programming, or approximately:
         -  30 full-length HD or 125 SD full-length movies
         -  Hundreds of full-length SD Dora the Explorer episodes
         -  25 full-length HD NHL games
    -  NEW - 320GB Internal hard drive with storage of up to 180 hours of SD
       or 40 hours of HD.
    -  NEW - Higher Resolution Graphics, including HiRes feature updates to
       the user interface screens to 640x480 resolution from 320x240
    -  NEW - PVR Hashmarks, a feature that allows jumping forward or backward
       by 15, 30 or 60 minutes during playback of recorded programs
    -  NEW - Play Position Time Indicator, that appears as part of the
       playback progress bar to numerically indicate the current playback
       point.
    -  Existing favourite features presently available on all Rogers PVRs
       such as the ability to pause live TV, watch picture-in-picture on any
       television, and the ability record one show while viewing or recording
       another

    The 8642HD PVR is also enabled for near-future enhancements including home
networking and interactive TV services and also supports:

    -  MPEG-4 Signal delivery - a standard that can be used for Internet,
       broadcast, and on storage media, MPEG-4 offers improved quality for
       gaming, video and entertainment products.
    -  MoCA(R) (Multimedia over Coax Alliance) - the universal standard for
       home entertainment networking
    -  DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) - allows entertainment devices
       within the home to share their content with each other across a home
       network

The 8642HD PVR series is available in Ontario only. The 500GB 8642HD PVR is available for purchase for $599; the 160GB 8642HD PVR is available for purchase for $499, and will be available on a rental basis beginning this summer in Ontario. Both boxes are available for purchase at Rogers Plus stores, Rogers authorized retailers in Ontario and The Shopping Channel online. Rogers 320GB 8642HD PVR will be available for purchase for $549 exclusively through Costco stores in Ontario.

For more information on Rogers’ variety of innovative entertainment offerings and the most HD choices, visit www.rogers.com/hd.

The service is Voxofon Express, and it can be used with either a landline or mobile phone. After registering for the service, customers get unique direct local numbers – Express numbers – for each international contact they plan to call. The numbers are permanent and can be stored in the address book of a mobile phone. After that, callers can simply dial the number designated for that contact and talk as long as they want. They will be charged only for a local call, plus Voxofon’s budget-friendly international calling rate for that country.

    There are no PIN codes involved, no setup charges, and no monthly fees.

Voxofon’s website, www.voxofon.com, has a special page explaining Voxofon Express and how to register.

Alexey Goloshubin, CEO of Voxofon LLC, says that while his company uses advanced voice over internet technology for most of its applications, its main business is making communication easy and inexpensive.

“We live in a mobile world, and people often must relocate to countries far away from family and friends to work. It’s increasingly important to provide easy, inexpensive ways to stay connected, and Voxofon’s mission is to offer as many options as it can to make that happen,” he says.

Voxofon’s communication services offer complete “call anywhere” mobility, allowing customers to call using their smart phone, computer, land line, or cell phone at a savings of up to 98% over telecom costs with no additional fees or contracts. All Voxofon services are available under a single account, providing customers with the flexibility to use the service they find most convenient.

Voxofon LLC is based in Houston, Texas. For more information or a free test call, go to www.voxofon.com.

Media and customers are invited to demo this amazing technology a day before the launch at Future Shop’s Yonge-Dundas store. During the demo day, a panel discussion is being held with leading industry experts from film and entertainment, media, distribution and retail to explain the impact of bringing 3D into Canadian homes. It will be broadcast live from Future Shop’s Community Forum at www.futureshopforums.ca. Viewers are invited to submit their 3D questions in advance and during the discussions via Twitter (www.twitter.com/FS_Connect) or the Community Forum.

    Who:      Eric Stockner, Director of Home Theatre, Future Shop
              Robert Gumiela, Director of Marketing, Samsung
              Jamie Campbell, Sportscaster, Sportsnet
              Roger Christian, Academy Award Winning Art Director

    Date:     Thursday, March 25, 2010

    Time:     Panel discussion 1:45 p.m. EST - 2:05 p.m. EST
              Questions and answers 2:05 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.
              3D TV demo 2:15 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
              Media interviews (upon request) 2:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

    Location: Future Shop, 325 Yonge St. (at Dundas)
              Toronto, ON

    Photo and broadcast opportunities:
    -  Interview opportunity with panelists
    -  In-house demonstration of 3D HDTVs
    -  Customers interacting with technology

    For more information, visit www.futureshop.ca.

About Future Shop

With 144 stores across the country and the nation’s premier web store (www.futureshop.ca), Burnaby, BC-based Future Shop is Canada’s largest retailer and e-tailer of consumer electronics. The company employs more than 10,000 technology enthusiasts, has enabled its website, Futureshop.ca, to deliver unparalleled content about the products it sells. Futureshop.ca also hosts an online community forum and tech blog for technology beginners and tech-savvy experts to exchange ideas, reviews, tips and other consumer electronics information (www.futureshopforums.ca). As a proud corporate citizen, Future Shop has developed solutions to recycle used electronics and is committed to employee volunteerism and supporting non-profits organizations dedicated to transforming local youth into Future Leaders (see www.futureshop.ca/futuregeneration).

Presented by EatRight Ontario, with sponsorship in part by Egg Farmers of Ontario, the TVOKids Don’t Sit Still Tour travels to communities across Ontario and features the beloved TVOKids hosts (Mark, Jackie and Ryan) in a free high-energy stage show that encourages a healthy, active lifestyle. Young audiences and their families can enjoy the songs, the dance moves, and non-stop opportunities to join in and follow along. And as a memento of the show and its message of healthy living and eating, kids receive free Don’t Sit Still gift bags.

“The Ontario Government and the Ministry of Health Promotion is pleased to support the TVOKids Don’t Sit Still Tour,” says Margarett Best, Ontario’s Minister of Health Promotion. “Reaching out to children and parents with important messages on making healthy eating choices and being more active for better health is important. The show is an interactive and fun way to reach thousands of children throughout the province.”

A new “Chef for a Day” contest invites kids to send in a favourite healthy breakfast, lunch or dinner menu to www.tvokids.com/dss for a chance to appear on stage with the TVOKids hosts when the Don’t Sit Still show comes to their city. Winners will also receive TVOKids merchandise prize packs.

“Ontario egg farmers are proud to promote healthy eating in the province,” says Carolynne Griffith, Chair of Egg Farmers of Ontario. “The ‘Chef for a Day’ contest offers a fun opportunity for kids to share their favourite nutritious meals and we look forward to seeing the entries.”

For parents and kids who would like to get more information on nutrition, booths will be set up near the stage where families can drop by, ask questions and receive tips and advice from registered dietitians and nutritionists from EatRight Ontario and Egg Farmers of Ontario.

TVOKids and the Don’t Sit Still Tour will also present three special Earth Day performances at the Ontario Science Centre on Saturday March 27. Stay tuned for more news on these performances and check www.tvokids.com/dss for updates.

The 2010 Don’t Sit Still Tour promises to be more fun than ever,” says TVOKids host Mark Sykes. “Young kids and their families will have tons of fun practising our cool new dance moves and songs with us, and at the same time they’ll learn a lot about active lifestyles and healthy eating. Ryan, Jackie and I are excited for the tour because we always have a blast travelling across Ontario and connecting with TVOkids fans face to face!”

Following is the schedule for the first two shows in Toronto on February 21. Each show is approximately 30 minutes.

    Performance at 11:30 am
    -----------------------
    Fairview Mall
    Lower level
    1800 Sheppard Avenue East
    Toronto

    Performance at 4:30 pm
    ----------------------
    Regent Park South Community Centre
    203 Sackville Green
    Toronto

About TVO

TVO is Ontario’s public educational media organization and a trusted source of interactive educational content that informs, inspires and stimulates curiosity and thought. TVO’s vision is to empower people to be engaged citizens of Ontario through educational media. For more information, visit tvo.org.

Where to find TVO

Cable channel 2 (channel may vary in some areas), Bell TV channel 265, Shaw Direct channel 353.

Available free to all Rogers Cable, Rogers Wireless, Rogers Hi Speed Internet and Rogers Home Phone subscribers from any streaming Internet connection across Canada, Rogers On Demand Online Beta is Canada’s best source of authenticated, aggregated, premium video content online. Backed by Rogers’ superior network and content selection and its continuous innovation, outstanding speed, quality and technology, Rogers On Demand Online is quickly becoming the best online destination in Canada for primetime and specialty TV programming, movies, sports and web-only exclusive content.

“With over 1.8 million Rogers On Demand Online page views in just over one month, Canadians are telling us they are ready to take TV beyond the box and have already made Rogers On Demand Online a great Beta launch success,” says David Purdy, Vice President, Video Product Management. “We’re committed to continually adding new content and partners, and given the great feedback we’ve been receiving, Rogers will be unveiling new features and functionality including live streaming, social networking and wireless access features in the near future.”

In late November 2009, Rogers On Demand Online launched with more than 20 partners, featuring a video library with more than 1,000 hours of content. Since then, Rogers has signed content agreements with new partners including Alliance Films, Canada’s largest distributor; Ride Guide Productions; a weekly snowboard, freeski and mountain bike television series; and has also added new content including primetime programming from Global Television, History Television and Showcase. In addition, Rogers TV programming, featuring Structures, the unique, award-winning architecture and history series showcasing Toronto buildings and heritage that invites viewers to take a fresh look at their surroundings; and Toronto Dining, the guide to the city’s thousands of fine restaurants for an insiders’ look at how Toronto’s top chefs create their delicious dishes, is now available on Rogers On Demand Online.

More than 1,500 hours of programming are now available exclusively to Rogers subscribers through www.rogersondemand.com.