As close neighbours of the United States we share a common market for consumer goods. As long as we can remember we’ve had the same selection at the same time. The same movies open on the same dates, the same DVDs and CDs hit stores on the same schedule, and in most cases, the same TV shows air at the same slots. Somehow that changed with the arrival of the internet and cell phones. Despite our status as one of the most-connected countries in the world in terms of internet usage, despite our long history as a consumer of popular culture, Canada has found itself placed on a massive waiting list when it comes to the latest wireless devices and digital content services. The iTunes Music Store took more than a year to arrive. Satellite radio came after a three year delay and Tivo finally crossed the border seven years after launching to acclaim in the United States. In some cases, the delays are so long that Canada never sees the first generation of a device, getting the second model or later instead. Apple’s iPhone, the Microsoft Zune, and Flip Pocket Camcorder are prime examples. [More]

After holding a series of regional competitions to find the fastest texters in Canada, LG brought in representatives from across this nation's provinces including challenges from Alberta and British Columbia, but after several rounds of pounding mobile keyboards on stage in front of a live audience at Toronto's Younge and Dundas Square, Kathy Spence from Scarborough, a neighbourhood right here in Toronto, emerged as the country's texting champion and might go on to compete in Korea as our national representative. [More]

As the popularity of Twitter continues to rise, we're seeing more and more games being created for it. Two Tweets And A Lie is one making the rounds right now. The concept is simple, you list enter three facts about yourself, one of which is an out-and-out lie. These are then sent out to your followers who are invited to pick out the false fact and catch you lying. If they do, the results are tweeted so that everyone knows you've been lying. 

Now that summer is upon us you're bound to see a few people take to the beaches and to the parks to practice their skills with a remote-controlled airplane. More than just buzzing the skies, those who really put in the effort can really make those flying machines dance. Here's RJ Gritter at the Electric Tournament of Champions, the premier event for R/C plan competitions. Although he only made it as far as the semi-finals for his technical merits, his artistic display of mini-acrobatics made him a crowd favorite. RCUniverse.com has the full coverage and for more videos check out their YouTube channel. 

Billie Tweets is a clever tribute to the late King of Pop, assembling the lyrics to Jackson's Billie Jean by pulling them out of random Tweets from Twitter, making it look as if the network's community is singing the signature tune from the 80's. Created by 9Astronauts, you don't need a Twitter account to view it.  [More]

It's amazing how quickly Augmented Reality has taken off, that webcam magic technology that allows you to interact with virtual objects using special codes. We've seen it applied to video games, blockbuster movie promotions, and a postal service. Now one company has taken the leap and has applied it to online shopping. California-based company Zugara has unveiled their own social shopping technology that they are hopping online retailers will adopt. The Webcam Social Shopper App, currently in "Alpha", allows online shoppers to print off special codes matching the clothes they're interested in from an online store. They can then hold these paper codes up to their cameras and the software will generate a virtual version of the outfit and then use the webcam's own tracking ability to place it on the user. This allows you to see how the clothes look on you before you make the purchase, in fact you can use your webcam to take a photo and share it with your friends using Facebook or other social networks for feedback. Check out the demo video below for the full concept.

If you are wisely looking for a substitute for Transformers Revenge of the Fallen this weekend, you can now check with YouTube to see what else is playing as they've just added their own movie trailers page. The quality is better than you might expect with some trailers including the option for playback in HD. Although they still have a way to go catch up to Apple's movie trailers page in quality and selection, at least YouTube offers embed codes. 

Microsoft Canada has released the pricing details for Windows 7, the latest version of their operating system. In addition to the standard retail and upgrade prices, the company has added two new programs aimed at making the transition better. These include a special pre-order promotion that includes a 50% discount, a move perhaps to assuage any lingering resentment from Vista's poor reception, and an upgrade program designed to counter Windows 7's late release on October 22nd, after the laptop-buying season. The company will allow those who purchase a computer during the fall sales to make the upgrade later at no extra cost. Here's the details:

UPDATE: HP Canada has announced that they will start the Windows 7 Upgrade program today. One caveat they offer is "for consumer PCs, both the software upgrade and shipping andhandling are free; whereas for commercial PCs, the software upgrade is free, but the customer or reseller will need to pay a nominal shipping and handling fee". Visit their official upgrade website for more details. [More]

Sirius Satellite Canada has launched a very tough online music quiz called Face The Music. If you think you have the chops, give it a try, but a warning, as they are pulling from all of the music featured across their 100+ channels, it's quite the challenge. They are giving out prizes, so it has to be.

Yesterday I took part in a charity version of the challenge where I joined seventeen of my media peers at the Harbourfront Centre stage to try and win some cash for our respective charities. I played on behalf of Musicounts.ca,

Kris struggles to identify a Belinda Carlise song alongside fellow competitor and film reviewer Jim Slotek