TomTom Traffic Index: Vancouver is most congested city; Toronto ranks 7th in North America

TomTom, maker of GPS hardware and apps,  released its sixth Traffic Index comparing travel times during non-congested hours with travel times in peak hours. Three Canadian cities – Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal – remain in the top 10 congested metros, with the latest index finding Vancouver has surpassed Los Angeles for the first time, ranking the most congested city in North America.

Toronto ranks seventh overall, where on average journey times are 27 per cent longer than when traffic in the city is flowing freely. Journey times are 54 per cent and 72 per cent longer in the morning peak and evening peak versus non-congested hours, respectively.

TomTom’s Traffic Index reports the most congested day in Toronto during the quarter was Friday, June 28, 2013, which can be attributed to heavy rain fall and flooding in the GTA on the day. 

The Pro's and Con's of: buying a "Smart TV"

If any of you follow my technological meanderings, you'll know I also write about technology for Toronto-based Notable.ca, the website run by - and made for - young professionals. Last week I posted about my time using a monstrous 80" Smart TV from Sharp and it had me thinking: rather than regurgitating my work, site to site, why not take some of my posts on other sites and turn them into something creative here? So I am. Starting today, I am going to write a quick, easy to use, pros and cons post focused on emerging and innovative technologies that I get to spend time with.  Something you can use as a cheat sheet; print it out and take with you the next time you're shopping for said product. 

Click to read more ...

Help the youth through Virgin Mobile’s RE*Generation project

‘Tis the season to do some good again. Virgin Mobile has launched its RE*Generation movement, which supports homeless and at-risk youth in Canada. You can help by purchasing Samsung Galaxy Ace II x from Virgin Mobile stores and online for $15 of the sale will go to the movement. You can find out more information here. Or as a Virgin Mobile Member, you can ask to add $1 to your monthly phone bill and will see that additional dollar donated to the Virgin Unite project.

You can also attend the Serena Ryder Benefit Concert on Dec. 11 at the Montréal Virgin Mobile Corona Theatre. The show is co-sponsored by Dans la Rue and you can purchase tickets online for $20 per ticket. And if you want a more direct approach, you can donate $5 to RE*Generation by texting REGEN to 30333.

HTC One mini coming to Rogers

The HTC One mini is coming to Rogers in Canada for $399 outright or $99 on a two-year contract. The HTC One mini is a smaller and scaled down version of the HTC One designed for the mid-range. Featuring a 1.4GHz dual-core processor, a 4.3-inch super LCD screen, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, a 4 MP (Ultrapixel camera) dual BoomSound speakers and running on the HTC Sense 5.0 UI and HTC Zoe.

Source: Rogers