Google's Chromecast App now available in Canadian App Store and Google Play

This may be an indicator that the Chromecast is soon on its way to Canada for real. The supporting apps for smartphones and tablets are now avallable on the Apple App Store as well as Google's Play Store. These apps enable interaction with the Chromecast device and allow users to wirelessly  push YouTube, NetFlix and in the case of Android, Google Play TV and Movie content to any connected HDTV. Canadians who wanted to use their US-bought Chromecast devices could download a .apk file from the Internet to get it to work. Chrome browsers on Macs, PCs and mobile devices can also push content to Chromecast by way of a browser plugin. Check out our full review of the Chromecast here.

Source: MaximeJohnson/techno

Google Hangouts app for iOS now features free calling to US and Canada landlines

The most recent version of Google's Hangouts app for iOS brings free calling to US and Canada landlines. This means users who have the app can make calls to Canadian and US numbers for free (International Calls are possible but with a charge depending where you are calling). This enhances the Hangouts experience substantially. Lucky users who have Google Voice accounts can receive calls as well as make them.

Source: Engadget

Review: Sphero 2.0

Text and photos by Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Sphero 2.0 is the sequel to the innovative robotic ball that one can control with their iOS or Android device. We recently had a chance to check out Sphero 2.0 as well as test this very promising high-tech toy that also involves various levels of traditional outdoor play.

Sphero 2.0 is an update to last year's model and is reportedly 2x faster, 3x brighter, and 'smarter'. Sphero 2.0 rolls at speeds of up to 7 feet per second and pairs to your device via Bluetooth with a range of up to 100 feet. 

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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