Toronto's Royal Ontario Museum launches ScopifyROM for iOS, a first-of-its-kind interactive museum app

In an effort to offer its visitors a more interactive experience within the walls of its museum, Toronto's ROM - in conjuction with Kensington Communications - has launched its first app for iOS entitled "Scopify". At first of its kind for any museum, Scopify allows visitors to experience ROM objects in fun and interactive ways, including Animating a dodo, X-raying a mummy, and Skinning a dino. Along with the exclusive range of custom-made ScopifyROM tools, visitors can animate, X-Ray, scan, magnify and otherwise “Select” ROM objects. For instance, users who visit the Schad Gallery of Biodiversity are able to Animate the ROM’s Dodo skeleton with ScopifyROM.  As a famed extinct species, this metre-tall flightless ancestor of the common pigeon and dove comes to life in an instant, moving as it would when Dodos populated the island of Mauritius. Also available is the ability to discover the Galleries of Africa: Egypt; with ScopifyROM, you can CT Scan, and Decode a Mummy. 

Very cool, forward-thinking initiative by the ROM to further engage its cult base of followers. 

Download Scopify for free via the AppStore here, word is the Android version of the app is on its way as well

Learn more about the app via the ROM's website here

Rogers Alerts brings location-based offers to customers

Rogers Alerts, a new location-based mobile solution that allows Rogers wireless customers to access personalized, location-based offers on their smartphone.

The Rogers Alerts platform is powered by technology from Placecast, a leading location-based marketing and loyalty solutions provider. It leverages geofencing technology, which will give retailers the ability to send a text message with personalized and timely offers to Rogers customers in close proximity to their retail locations. 

Rogers Alerts will be sent to Rogers subscribers who have signed up to receive offers at www.rogersalerts.ca.

To celebrate the launch, Rogers is offering $5 off one of their next two Rogers Wireless to wireless customers who text RALERTS to 5050, as long as their Rogers Alerts account remains active for 30 days. 

Who will offer deals, you might be wondering? Sears Canada, Future Shop, Pizza Hut Canada, A&W, Second Cup and Rogers Wireless are amongst the first retailers to take advantage of Rogers Alerts, the first of its kind in the Canadian 

Google Play Gift Cards now in Canada

Google Play Gift cards are now available in Canada from Shoppers Drug Mart, Future Shop, Target, 7-11, Best Buy, Mac's, Walmart, Pharmaprix, Circle K and Couche-Tard. The cards are available in $15, $25 and $50 denominations and are ideal gifts for the Android users in your life. They can be redeemed directly from the Google Play app on your device or browser and are good for apps, movies, books and more.

Google Canada showcases technology used in everyday life

Text and photos by Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Google Canada brought their tech, their toys and some of their more notable video bloggers on YouTube to a loft in downtown Toronto today to showcase the connected life at the Google Loft.

Laid out with various stations showcasing real-world situations where Google's cloud and search technology can come into play, I received first-hand demonstrations on just how capable Google's solutions are and discovered a bunch of tools I never heard of before.

Click to read more ...