Sky's the Limit

If you're a true techie/geek, you probably need the latest and greatest toys all the time. So, you have probably acquired a few new toys (a media tablet, netbook, and/or laptop) in the last year or so. That also means you probably have some old devices gathering dust somewhere.

Here's a great solution: consider donating your gently used laptop to Sky's the Limit.

Not only will they pick up the devices anywhere in the GTA OR pay for shipping outside the GTA, you will be making a difference in the life of a Canadian student as well. Sky's the Limit provides gently used laptops to students in Canada who are under-resourced. This includes new immigrants, refugees, street involved youth and students with disabilities. Here's what you need to know:

- Devices should be under 4 years old
- Over 500 devices were donated last year
- You will receive a tax receipt for your donation

Only laptops are accepted today, but they are considering expanding to accept media tablets in the near future. So as you upgrade to the newest sexy tablet on the market, hold onto your old one, and let Sky's the Limit give it a good home.

App Revolution

On Thursday May 19th, I joined a panel at OCE Discovery '11 to chat about Canadian mobile trends, apps, tablets and startups. Click here to see the video. On the panel was Anand Agarawala, Product Manager, Android System UI, Google; Michele Perras, Mobile Strategist, Transcontinental Media; Amar Varma from Extreme Venture Partners; and our awesome moderator, Kunal Gupta, CEO of Polar Mobile.

Don't Be Late for the Future!

On May 17th in Toronto, I moderated a discussion on how to integrate hot technology (media tablets, cloud solutions and social networking) into your business. Listen to the podcast here.

Cloud Computing: Why Small is Beautiful

On April 27th, I chatted with Amanda Lang on the Lang and O'Leary Exchange, about some of the hot cloud start ups in Canada, and why small is beautiful in the cloud computing market. The segment begins at 53:05.

iPad 2 and the Impact on the Market

On March 2, the iPad 2 was announced (definitely not a co-incidence). With devices planned to hit the Canadian streets March 25, and RIM's Playbook rumored to be launching shortly in early Spring as well, I chatted with Michael Hainsworth on BNN's The Close about the impact this will have on the Canadian market.

At Home Experiment: Cable Cutter Update

Update: It's been a few weeks now since I cut my cable, so I thought I'd do an update.

I've now added the Citytv Video app, which was an important discovery because that means I can watch the Bachelor. Also available through the app: 30 Rock, Hell's Kitchen, City Line, Perfect Couples, Modern Family, The Event, Cougar Town, Fringe...to name a few.

What's Surprised Me So Far: I'm finding myself discovering and watching more TV now than I ever did when I had cable. And while I could have watched some content on demand before, I found that I didn't because for me it was too cumbersome to open my laptop, connect to the Internet and search for something. But with the app on a media tablet, not only is the content on demand, but the device is too (instant on, instant connectivity). Double Whammy. Siiiiiiick.

At Home Experiment: Cutting the Cable Cord

Purpose: To experience what it's really like in Canada in 2011 to get all content over the Internet.

Hypothesis: Cutting the cord will not be something that most Canadians consider in 2011, but inevitably, it will be more of a reality in the years to come as behaviors change, content selection improves, and Internet speeds/quality improve.


Method: Last week, I cut my cable. I've now subscribed to Netflix and have watched content via my laptop, PS3 and on my iPad and all three have been a great user experience so far. The interface is easy to navigate and the suggested viewings based on your previous viewings are really helpful. There's still room on the content side for improvement, but the selection for now has been sufficient. I've also got the Global TV app on my iPad, which gives me access to TV episodes like House, NCIS, The Office, Rookie Blue...etc.


I'll be blogging about my experience about getting content over the top, and about any good discoveries I make with respect to finding great sources for content online.