Rover to power mobile app for Pittsburgh Penguins

Rover Labs Inc., a Toronto-based maker of mobile engagement technology, announced Tuesday it is partnering with the Pittsburgh Penguins to bring fans exclusive content to their mobile devices at games through a new app.

The company said in a press release that fans attending games at Consol Energy Centre in Pittsburgh will be greeted with content such as concession offers and discounts to enhance “the fan experience.”

Wearable shipments more than doubling this year: IDC

International Data Corp. said Monday that wearable shipments will reach 76.1 million units this year, up 163.6 per cent from the 28.9 million units shipped in 2014.

It said in a press release that total shipments of basic and smart wearables will reach 173.4 million units by 2019, resulting in a five-year average growth rate of 22.9 per cent.

Google rolls out Android Pay

Google Inc. announced Thursday on its official Android blog it has launched Android Pay.

The blog post said that, after downloading the app onto any NFC-enabled Android device, users can use it for payments at more than a million locations across the United States. It added that Android Pay will store gift cards, loyalty cards, special offers, as well as credit and debit cards from American Express, Discover, MasterCard and Visa.

Telus IoT platform goes global

Telus Corp. announced Wednesday it is expanding its Internet of Things (IoT) platform globally to nearly every country around the world.

It said in a press release that the new platform, called Telus Global IoT Connectivity Platform, has partnered with more than 70 carriers and offers a global SIM card for simplified billing across more than 200 networks.

Location tracking needs more oversight: PIAC

The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) said in a new report that the CRTC and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner should do more research on the practice of tracking the location of individuals through their mobile devices.

The report, released publicly Tuesday, concluded that “it is not clear if Canada’s privacy regime is sufficiently responsive to Canadians’ concerns with location-based informational privacy.”

Verizon planning mobile video streaming service: report

Verizon Communications Inc. plans to launch a free ad-supported mobile streaming service, the New York Times reported online Tuesday.

The article said the launch would be announced this week, and that the service will be available to all users, even those who are not Verizon mobile customers. The article, which featured interviews with Verizon officials, said that the company is targeting this service to 18- to 34 year-olds, who Marni Walden, president of product innovation at Verizon, said watch content on mobile first 70 per cent of the time.

Verizon plans to test 5G next year

Verizon Communications Inc. announced Tuesday it has created a roadmap to begin field trials for 5G wireless technology as early as 2016.

The company said in a press release it is partnering with Alcatel-Lucent, Ericson AB, Cisco Systems Inc., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Qualcomm Inc. and Nokia Corp., in creating working teams to bring the technology to the U.S.

BlackBerry buys Good Technology for $425M US

BlackBerry Ltd. said Friday it will pay $425 million US to acquire Good Technology Corp., which makes secure mobile device platforms geared for businesses and governments.

BlackBerry said the acquisition will allow it to “expand its ability to offer a unified, secure mobility platform with applications for any mobile device on any operating system.”

Data costs limit mobile-video consumption: Ericsson

A new report from Ericsson AB shows that while people are increasingly consuming video on mobile devices, the cost of data limits many from taking advantage of what the technology makes possible.

The report released Thursday from Ericsson's ConsumerLab division — based on research involving more than 22,500 people in 20 countries including Canada and the United States — said there has been a 71 per cent increase in the number of people viewing video on smartphones since 2011.

Mobile infrastructure market worth $11.4B US in Q2: IHS

The global market for mobile infrastructure was worth $11.4 billion US in this year’s second quarter, research company IHS said Wednesday.

It said in a press release that this represented two per cent growth from the same period a year earlier.

IHS said gains in the second quarter were driven by increased 3G W-CDMA capacity in various overseas locations and “unabated” LTE expansion in China.

CBS to live-stream first regular-season NFL game

CBS Corp.’s sports division said Tuesday that next month it will live-stream a regular-season National Football League game for the first time.

Sony unveils first 4K smartphone

Sony Corp. announced Wednesday at IFA Berlin, one of the world’s largest consumer electronics trade shows in Europe, the release of the world’s first 4K smartphone.

Sony said in a press release that the Xperia Z5 Premium’s 4K display has “four times the resolution of full HD,” and will allow users to watch any 4K content, including from Netflix Inc. and Google Inc.'s YouTube.

Major tech companies form new-media consortium

Seven technology companies announced on Tuesday a new alliance to develop next-generation media formats, codecs and technologies to meet demand for better video, audio, imagery and streaming quality across all platforms and devices.

Amazon adds download option for Prime customers

Amazon.com Inc.’s Prime Video members in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and Austria will now be able to download movies and TV shows for easy offline viewing at no additional cost, the company said in a press release Tuesday.

Amazon said that its over-the-top subscription streaming service will be the first ever to offer the option to download videos for both Apple Inc.’s iOS and Google Inc.’s Android platforms.

Android Wear now compatible with iPhones

Google Inc. said Monday that its Android Wear operating system for smartwatches can now work with Apple Inc.'s iPhones.

Google said in a blog that LG Corp.'s Watch Urbane is the first device the iPhone-compliant version of Android Wear is available on. It said all future Android Wear watches will work with iPhones.

Android Wear will work with devices as far back as the iPhone 5 that run on iOS 8.2 or higher.

Sprint offers free service to DirecTV customers

U.S. wireless carrier Sprint Corp. is offering free service to customers of DirecTV, the satellite-TV provider that was recently purchased by AT&T, a competitor to Sprint in the mobile market.

Sprint said in a press release that between Aug. 28 and Sept. 30, DirecTV customers who opt for Sprint mobile service, or add additional services with Sprint, can receive unlimited talk and text for a year and 2 GB per month of data on up to five lines, if using a non-subsidized smartphone.

Former Bell employee accused of insider trading

The Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF), Quebec’s financial market regulator, said Thursday that it has uncovered an illegal insider-trading scheme involving a former BCE Inc. employee that allowed this individual, along with some family and friends, to realize profits of more than $1 million since 2012.

Wearable shipments tripled in Q2: IDC

Technology research company International Data Corp. said said in a press release Thursday that the global market for wearables grew 223.2 per cent in this year's second quarter with 18.1 million units shipped, up from 5.6 million units shipped in the same period the previous year.

Bell Aliant jobs being outsourced to India: union

Jobs with BCE Inc.’s Bell Aliant operations in Atlantic Canada are being outsourced to India despite a commitment from Bell when it took full control of Aliant's operations last year to protect these jobs, according to a union representing workers there.

Smartphone shipments growth to slow, tablets to decline further: IDC

New reports from International Data Corp. indicate that smartphone shipments will still grow but slow down from its previous expectations, while tablet shipments are expected to decline further than previously thought this year.

Videotron to launch new music service

Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron announced Tuesday it will be launching a new music service later this week.

It said in a news release that a service called Unlimited Music will be “a Canadian first in mobile services,” adding that more information will be released at a press conference on Thursday. 

Instagram users more tech savvy: MTM

A new report released Monday from Media Technology Monitor (MTM) says 85 per cent of Canadian users of Facebook Inc.’s photo and video-sharing app, Instagram, are younger than 50 and most are prone to owning new technology.

Internet transaction volume to rise 60% by 2018: Juniper

Worldwide transactions using devices connected to the Internet will reach 125 billion annually in volume by 2018, a gain of 60 per cent over what's expected this year, Juniper Research Ltd. said Monday.

Juniper said in a press release that some of the factors that will drive this growth will be more access to WiFi or 4G mobile signals on public transportation, the continued transition to more digital versions of products that were previously bought on CDs or DVDs, and the rise in subscription streaming services.

Telus launches Business Connect in Quebec

Telus Corp. said Monday that it has launched in Quebec a service called Business Connect, an advanced cloud-communications business service, in partnership with RingCentral Inc.

It said in a press release that the service was launched to help small businesses that do not use traditional phone services but rely more on smartphones as primary means of voice communications.

Global smartphone sales growth slows

Worldwide smartphone sales in this year's second quarter grew at their slowest rate since 2013, largely as a result of the first year-to-year decline on record for sales of smartphones in China, Gartner Inc. said Thursday.

The research company said in a press release there were 330 million sales of smartphones in the second quarter, up 13.5 per cent from a year earlier. In China, sales were down four per cent from the year before, Gartner said.

Kik gets $50M US investment from Chinese company

Canadian chat-app maker Kik Interactive Inc. said Tuesday that it has received a $50-million US investment from China's Tencent Holdings Ltd., maker of WeChat messaging app.

Kik CEO Ted Livingston said in a blog post on the company's website that Tencent is an ideal company to have as a partner.

More retailers join lawsuit against Bell: report

A lawsuit against BCE Inc.'s wireless unit by independent retailers has been expanded to include more companies, the Globe and Mail reported Monday.

An article published online Sunday said Bell Mobility is being sued by what now amounts to more than 30 exclusive Bell-branded-store owners that operate more than 110 outlets, mainly in Ontario and Quebec. They claim they have not been compensated fairly for sales of products and services. The article said the retailers are seeking $2.5 million in compensation plus legal costs.

Braille smartwatch in development to give blind another option

A South Korean company is aiming to provide blind people with the first-ever braille-display smartwatch this year, and a representative from the Canadian Institute for the Blind (CNIB) says it provides an opportunity for many to improve their quality of life.

Quadruple screening on rise in English Canada: MTM

A report released Wednesday shows that 27 per cent of anglophone Canadians surveyed have four different screens that connect to the Internet — a computer, smartphone, tablet and television.

The study, from CBC/Radio-Canada's Media Technology Monitor, said that proportion is up from three per cent three years ago.

Canadian company plans niche OTT channels

Toronto-based TableRock Media announced on Tuesday plans to launch niche Internet-based video channels for worldwide distribution, starting next year.

The company said in a press release that it would create channels dedicated to topics including guitars, aviation and motorcycles, which it described as "billion-dollar industries that attract a large consumer base within their categories."

It said it would offer a mix of original and acquired programming on these channels, including documentaries, films and hosted series.

Sprint provides free roaming in Canada, Mexico

U.S. wireless carrier Sprint Corp. announced Monday free roaming in Canada, Mexico and other countries.

Sprint said in a press release that under its Free Open World program, which customers can access at no additional cost, calls and texts to Canada and Mexico come at no extra cost to customers, and calls and texts can be made from within these and more than a dozen Latin American countries with no roaming charges.

Data revenue bolsters Telus numbers

Telus Corp. on Friday reported a 5.1 per cent year-to-year revenue gain in its second quarter, boosted by more data-generated cash from both its wireless and wireline operations.

Bell mobile-TV opponents call it OTT service