Month: August 2013

Canadian Startup Manaya Wants to Change the Way We Find a Place to Live

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The “aha!” moment came to Manaya’s founder, David Polisi, in 2010 when he was searching for a new place to live.

He stood outside houses with “for sale” signs, jotted down the information and waited for real estate agents and property managers to call him back. Polisi was frustrated with the process. Why should looking for a new home be a game of cat and mouse? That was the spark leading to the concept of Manaya Mobile Marketing, an easy and convenient way to get rental information through text messaging.

Since launching in 2012, Manaya has connected renters with property managers by making key renting details accessible. Anyone with a cellphone can text for information by simply punching in the numbers supplied on the vacancy or “for rent” signs. Potential renters will instantly receive all they need to know about the space including price, square feet and general description. Property managers may also choose to upload pictures and videos to assist in the renting process.

“It is tough to peel it back and see what the world was like before this,” said Polisi, “But one thing I can say is that we see 35% of our inquiries taking place while offices are closed and 55% of inquiries taking place over the weekends. We can show people who are texting in the after hours and say that those would have once been voice mails that somebody either should have or could have followed up with—but now they get the information instantly.”

Although house hunting through a neighbourhood you wish to live in has not changed, the way we can spontaneously access information through our mobile devices have. The 24/7 convenience has garnered property manager’s approval. The ability to track usage and analytics has been a key attribute in the service, especially for the busy realtors and property managers.

“We actually see quite a bit of sharing,” said Polisi. “They [potential renters] will send a text message, they’ll come onto our mobile platform and they’ll discover the property; the building, the pictures, the amenities. And what we start to see are people sharing the buildings with friends. So that is a good indicator to us that the consumer is enjoying it so much that they are sharing it with other people through email or Facebook or Twitter.”

Discovery is Manaya’s main focus. The first step to accomplishment is initiating the first step, and Manaya is hoping to make that leap of faith a little less of a daunting plunge and more of a treat for curiosity. The service draws people, assist with scheduling a booking and from there it will always come down to the client’s preference, whether they choose to live there or continue their hunt.

Manaya has also introduced a web to text feature that allows people who are searching for properties in front of their computer to send a text message to their mobile device, which has the coined term “virtual scratchpad.”

“Our goal is to increase the quality and convenience of getting information,” said Polisi. “So the quality is really pictures. And we see, as consumers 84% of the people said that photography was the most important aspect of searching for a place to live. We are supplying a service that brings in professional photographers and virtual tours, so people can really see themselves in the room.”

 

Canadians Savvy Shoppers, Believe They Should Never Pay Full Retail Prices: Study

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Here’s a stunning fact: people want to save money.

Duh! We don’t need to conduct a nationwide survey to know that. But what the inaugural Canadian edition of the Shoppers Trend Report shows is that Canadians are starting to become savvier with their money.

RetailMeNot.ca, a Canadian digital coupon site and Angus Reid Forum conducted the study. The monthly report highlights the public’s shopping habits, attitudes and behaviours on retail spending. Nearly half (49%) of Canadians believe that they should not pay retail price, and 47% seek out discounts and coupons online or on their mobile devices.

“Our survey reveals what we’ve known for a long time and highlights one of the reasons we expanded into the Canadian market,” said Josh Harding, vice president of global operations for RetailMeNot, Inc. “Consumers from Victoria to St. John’s are smart shoppers who are looking for great deals. We are giving our new consumers the experience they are looking for with easy-to-find digital coupons that provide great value with little effort.”

Alberta ranks highest among Canadian provinces with 56% of respondents saying they look online or on their mobile devices for deals. Ontario is second with 52%, British Columbia is third with 50% and Manitoba/Saskatchewan with 44%.

When it comes to non-grocery items, such as clothes and electronics, Canadians are spending quite a bit, with 49% budgeting over $100 a month to nonessentials. Men tend to spend more than women with 32% of them exceeding $200 a month, where as 24% for women. Age does not play a factor in how much a person spends, 30% of people from 18 to 54 spend more than $200 a month.

Half of Canadians are spending less money on smaller-priced items than they were five years ago. People are attempting to cut back anywhere they can without effecting their lifestyle. Consumers are cutting back on new furniture and travel, 56% of people 55 and over and 24% of 18 to 34 year-olds have admitted to saving on furnishing. While 32% of Canadians said they would cut back on their vacations.

The new digital coupon trend is quickly gaining traction and is helping people save. 55% said it is easy to search for or find digital coupons. It offers a lot of benefits including accessibility and convenience. 31% of people who use digital coupon are always able to find something available they can use.

But the study also gained a lot of quality information to improve the new couponing format. Almost half of Canadians want coupons or discounts that are frequent and relevant. Also 70% of Canadians prefer offers from well-known retailers rather than the less common brands.

At the moment Albertans are the ones embracing digital coupons the most with 61% using them regularly, while Atlantic Canadians are most eager to save with 55% saying that they should never have to pay retail.

Milestone Reached by Canada Post as Mobile App Hits One Million Downloads

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Over the Canada Day long weekend, Canada Post’s mobile app received its one-millionth download.

The app allows Canadians to access postal services such as parcel tracking, shipping rate look-ups and epost (a digital mailbox) through their smartphones. It is compatible for all major platforms including iOS, Blackberry and Android, with 85% of downloads coming from iPhones or iPad devices.

Canada Post’s mobile app had gained a lot of popularity. In 2011, the app was used seven million times, but in the first six months of 2013, Canadians have nearly doubled the usage.

It had consistently been a top five free business app in the country, with parcel tracking being the number one feature. Over 12 million Canada Post packages have been tracked using the app. In 2012 package-tracking usage has increased by almost three times since the app was introduced one year before.

“We know Canadians have changed how they communicate and how they use postal services,” says Kerry Munro, Group President, Digital Delivery Network at Canada Post. “Our job is to make it convenient for them and evolve to meet their changing needs.”

The one-millionth-download milestone is a big accomplishment for Canada Post and they proudly presented some stats showing their route towards that achievement. Toronto holds the majority of Canada Post’s mobile app users with 23.2%, Montreal is second with 17.9% and Vancouver is third with 8.7%.

When epost was introduced in December 2012, approximately 26,000 users have been accessing it every month. The service offers online mailing and bill presentment and payment through an electronic document delivery service.

Even though post is transitioning slowly into the virtual world, a post office is still a necessary place to visit once in awhile. A feature that has been assisting people and been gaining popularity is the post office locator. From 2011 to 2012, users have risen from 445,000 to 1.2 million.

People and businesses alike are quickly learning to utilize this new tool Canada Post has offered. Now with a new redesigned web environment, Canada Post is hoping to enhance the mailing experience in a digitized world. The new site is geared toward businesses with simplified navigation processes and an intelligent system that streamlines searches.

New Canadian Grocery Alerts App Brings Savings to the Palm of Your Hand

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One dollar here, a couple of dollars there, and what was supposed to be an inexpensive trip to the grocery store ends up costing a small fortune.

It is not uncommon to hear about bargains, but taking advantage of them is a chore we have to schedule for. Most of us don’t have time to scour through the stack of flyers or click through online retail catalogues. What ends up happening is that we just show up at the store whenever we can with our little list and wing it.

Last month, Canadian startup Grocery Alerts launched a new app, Coupon Find Canada. The app supplies a database that allows user to search for items with a discount or spontaneously look up deals for stores they are already at.

“We want to keep it simple,” said Steven Zussino, founder of GroceryAlerts.ca. “We want to show all the different categories we have coupons for on the website; beverages, snacks. And then be able to show store coupons, so if you are at Save-On-Foods or Rexall or Bulk Barn or Shoppers Drug Mart, you can just click on the coupon and show it at the counter.”

Although digitized couponing is evolving, it is still suffering from some growing pains. The public still relies heavily on the printed material, because the virtual format is still so darn hard to read.

“I don’t mind reading books or magazines on mobile devices,” said Zussino, “but flyers you need to zoom in a lot, because they are so visual.”

That is why simplicity is the key for Zussino, who stripped back all the glitz and glamour of marketing and just stuck with the essential, which is to save you some money.

Grocery Alerts has been live since 2009 and has accumulated over 22,000 email subscribers and 120,000 readers each month. Providing coupons for stores and manufactures nationwide, Grocery Alert, with its new accessible app Coupon Find Canada are hoping to expand to a wider audience.

“Our audience tends to be mothers with large families,” explains Zussino. “Usually single people and younger people don’t use a lot of coupons. But I think things are changing with all those daily deals websites. It is interesting when people say they don’t use coupons, I always find good examples of things you buy on a daily bases that you can just print off and it is pretty easy to redeem. Four or five bucks doesn’t sound like a lot, but it adds up.”

Coupon Find Canada is currently offered for iOS at the app store and in the coming weeks it will be available at Google Play store and will be compatible with Blackberry and Androids smartphones.

 

Canadians Surprisingly Satisfied with Their Phone and Internet Service, Study Suggests

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J.D. Power Recently released their 2013 Canadian Television Provider Customer Satisfaction Study and the 2013 Canadian Internet Service Provider Customer Satisfaction Study. According to the findings, customers who bundle their television, Internet and telephone services with the same telecom provider have the highest percent of satisfaction.

The study for television providers used six factors to measure customers’ overall satisfaction, those were cost of service, programming, communication, customer service and billing. The study for Internet providers used five, performance and reliability, cost of service, communication, billing and customer service.

The key insight from the study was that 83% of customers bundle their TV and Internet service, while 17% only subscribe to TV with their provider. 59% of customers with a TV and Internet also have telephone service from the same provider, which is referred to as the triple-play package.

Customers who selected the triple-play package pay an average of $165 per month. TV and Internet bundle cost an average of $156, while TV-only subscriptions cost $89.

“Bundling typically provides discounts and has the added convenience of one bill with one provider,” said Adrian Chung, account director at J.D. Power. “These elements are key drivers of higher satisfaction and provide the stickiness that leads to long-term loyalty.”

Triple-play customers tend to have the highest overall satisfaction with 690 on a 1,000-point scale, while TV and Internet bundlers have 678 and TV-only with 658. And 19% of triple-play customers stated that they “definitely will” recommend their providers to others.

Customers who subscribe to premium TV packages are more loyal to the provider. Only 16% indicated they “will likely” switch to another provider in the next year. They are also more “likely” to purchase additional services, while 22% of basic TV subscribers will likely switch in the next 12 months.

The study also shows that 42% of customers view content on their smarphones or tablets, but satisfaction among these customers average at 661, 22 points lower than those who only watch on their television.

“Satisfaction for mobile users suffers because they tend to experience more problems with picture and download speed,” said Chung. “They expect their mobile device to have the same speed and quality as their home TV, and in many cases their expectations are not met.”

When it comes to Internet, speed is the determining factor. The study shows that 15% of Internet users with fibre optic had their expectations exceeded, while only 8% of DSL and cable users have the same response.

Satisfaction is highest for customers with fibre optic Internet service. Customers who choose this service will experience fewer problems, but issues with their connection often lead to a significant decline in satisfaction.

“While customers with fibre optic connections are very pleased with the speed and reliability of their Internet connection, they also have very high expectations,” said Chung.

29% of DSL customers and 31% of cable customers have experienced outage with their Internet connection, where as only 25% of customers with fibre optic have experienced problems with their Internet. But if a problem does arise, fibre optic users’ satisfaction drops 114 points, 15 more than DSL and 13 more than cable.

In the eastern region, Vidéotron ranks highest in both television customer satisfaction with 747 and Internet customer satisfaction with 755. In the western region, SaskTel ranks highest in customer service with 730 points for television customer satisfaction and 705 for Internet customer satisfaction.

More than 10,500 telecommunication customers responded to the study conducted in October 2012 and April 2013.

Clearpath Robotics: Rugged-Mobile Robots For A Brave New World

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In 2006, Bill Gates wrote an article entitled A Robot in Every Home; it was a play on a piece written in the 80s called A Computer in Every Home. What was once science fiction and a crazy concept is now a modern day reality. Kitchener-based Clearpath Robotics recognized that like computers and Internet, robots are an industry growing with infinite potential.

The company originated in 2009 at the University of Waterloo, when the Mechatronics Engineering Program was still in its infancy. It was there that the team at Clearpath Robotics discovered their passion for developing field robots and unmanned systems.

“When we weren’t busy cramming for exams, we were building robots in our spare time,” said Matt Rendall, CEO of Clearpath Robotics and 2013 finalist for the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

From humble beginnings to winning the 2013 Silver Edison Award, Clearpath Robotics develops their innovative robots with the costumers and projects in mind. Understanding that field robotics, automated systems, driverless cars and other advance technology are complicated systems; the team’s goal is always to make things easier, whether it is to work with, to prototype or to develop.

“We build platforms,” said Rendall, “using the 80/20 analogy. It is our job to solve 80% of the problem and we work with our costumers and clients to solve the remaining 20%. All research is unique, that is the nature of research. So the first way we make things easier is that we offer a common starting point. Because that starting point is common, it has been through vigourous testing and it’s off the shelf, so it has a lower cost—it is just a better starting point than doing something from scratch.”

Over the years, Clearpath Robotics’ vision has matured. But simplicity, efficiency and safety are still the three main pedestals for building robots. The team takes that philosophy and applies it to automate the world’s dullest, deadliest and dirtiest jobs. “In outdoor environments there are a lot of opportunities to help make certain things easier, safer and faster,” said Rendall.

One prime example of Clearpath Robotics’ ingenuity is their 2013 Silver Edison Award Finalist, the Kingfisher. With the sleek look of a miniature speedboat, the Kingfisher’s featured applications include bathymetric data collection, shore erosion monitoring, sediment mapping, flow rate measurements, dam inspection, harbour safety and others. The remote water-monitoring robot allows surveyors to work safely on the shore in a task that once required manpower out in the water.

“Environment Canada measures a lot of different things about the country’s water supply,” said Rendall. “Often these are remote locations through fast moving and cold water with opposing hazards, so we built a robot to assist them. We are very pleased with it.”

But like all things technology and fashion, improvements are always being made. Clearpath Robotics’ active researching team is constantly seeking areas of advancement whether it is on the platforms that already exist like the Kingfisher or a prototype still in the early stages of conception.

Earlier this year, Clearpath followed up the Kingfisher by introducing the Grizzly, a robotic utility vehicle with big 26-inch tires that allows it to operate in mining, military and agricultural settings. From navigating tough terrain to spraying dangerous pesticide, the Grizzly does it all unmanned, which will only make life easier for us fragile humans.

Perhaps one day we’ll all have robot butlers like the Jetsons or maybe Skynet will rule over us. Nobody can really be certain what the future holds. But from the way things are looking, robots are going to be more relevant than ever and Clearpath Robotics is leading the charge and hoping to inspire people to take part in the upgrade.

“We are going to start seeing a lot of purpose built robots to solve specific problems,” said Rendall. “So there is going to be a massive industry behind this and we need more people and more entrepreneurs and more companies focusing on it. The barrier for entry is quite high, but there are a lot of opportunities.”

Ottawa’s Powerstick Keeps Your Smartphone, Tablet, and Life Fully Charged

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Although a double espresso might get you through the latter parts of your day, your smartphone and your tablet are not always as easy to re-energize.

We all dread watching those last few percent on the battery bar tick away as we hastily finish off an email or an important phone call. We have all gone hunting for power outlets and been prisoners to the cord, but now Ottawa-based Powerstick is freeing us from the restrictions of limited battery life.

Since 2011, Powerstick has been innovating the way people recharge their mobile devices. From humble beginnings to award winning products, Powerstick is constantly looking for new ideas from conception to results.

The first generation of the Powerstick was the size of a stick of gum and could charge most mobile devices. It won the CES Award for Best Innovation and is also available as a 2GB, 4GB or 8GB portable hard drive. From there, Powerstick received numerous upgrades and awards. The company took an inventive route and started developing different models, including the Powertrip, a heavy-duty charger that has a wall socket, USB port and a solar PV panel, perfect for situations such as long distance travel and camping. The Powertrip has enough energy to fully charge three smartphones and certain models are able to hold up to 16GB of memory.

Nigel Harris, CEO of Powertrip originally fashioned the portable charger for its practical uses, but he quickly discovered that his product was a terrific tool for branding.

“When a corporation like Google or Ford or an organization like that wants to launch a new product or new service they like to give gifts to promote,” said Harris, “So we brand our product with Google’s name or Ford’s or whoever and they give them out to clients as free gifts. It is wonderful for us.”

Powerstick prefers to steer away from the bottom prices, extended terms and guaranteed sale-through of big box retailers; instead they deal primarily with promotional distributors. But as popularity grows and public demand rises, Powerstick is now offering online sales capability for those who want to purchase products in smaller quantities on their website.

As technology continues to evolve, battery life remains ever more important. Even though innovations have been made, all battery will still inevitably die.

“Every couple of months you’ll read in the newspaper about how so and so somewhere has come up with a brand new technology that will revolutionize battery storage,” Harris told Techvibes. “But it never actually gets brought to market. We are going to be stuck with the same battery technology for practical purposes.”

Whether it is with new companies, new technologies or new geographical areas, Powerstick is in a position of infinite opportunities. They will once again be entering four new products in the CES Awards and will also be attending the PPAI Expo in January with great intention of promoting to distributors worldwide.

“We are in a really cool spot,” said Harris. “We are conceiving and executing on brand new products all the way from concept to the production units inside of five months and it is very very exciting. We are winning awards and we are this little Canadian company.”

Nokia Downsizing in Vancouver Sparks City’s Startup Ecosystem

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Formerly published in Techvibes Media.
Posted by Elliot Chan on Jul 2, 2013

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News of company downsizing tends to be upsetting, filling former employees with distraught. But that was not the case for the talented group Nokia dismissed during various rounds of cutbacks starting in 2009.

Wavefront, Canada’s Centre of Excellence for Wireless Commercialization and Research has partnered with Nokia to support former employees’ transition between jobs. The program will not only shorten the period of unemployment, but also create more career opportunities for ex-Nokia employees.

Wavefront’s Venture Acceleration Program, launched in December 2012, is now helping former Nokia employees with quality business models to pursue new entrepreneurial projects. Since the inauguration Wavefront has assisted nine new companies who had enrolled in the VAP program. Brad Lowe, Wavefront’s Wireless Accelerator Architect, expects more startup companies to form in the near future.

In addition to the program, Nokia also hosted a competition. The company offered a $35,000 seed funding reward for the employees who pitched the best ideas for new businesses. Automatic admission to VAP was granted to any employees with business ideas involving wireless space.

“We’ve got a bunch of highly skilled people who spent years working for a global powerhouse in mobility, and we wanted to see that those people—if they were interested—continue to build on that and start new companies that would keep those jobs in British Columbia,” said Lowe. “To Nokia’s credit, they put in place this program to try to get people into new jobs. I always joke that there’s no better place to be laid off from than Nokia.”

Adaia, smartphone marker known for its rugged design is one of the companies formed after the disbanding of Nokia’s Burnaby division. Benefiting from the help of VAP, Adaia is getting plenty of media coverage and attention for its new product, a smartphone that is both shock-proof and is capable of functioning after being submerged in 10 metres of seawater and continues working at altitude of 9,000 metres. The smartphone also comes with detailed topographical maps and is satellite enabled, which allows it to send text anywhere in the world, but not receive—essential for getting help in emergency situations.

“I was so fed up,” said onetime Nokia consultant, Heikki Sarajarvi. “I can’t be the only one who is destroying these smartphones doing completely normal things.”

Sarajarvi spoke with sailors who were prone to damaging their phones in salty, wet conditions and decided that things need to change. That was the initial spark for Adaia, a company with 16 employees, half of which were once employed by Nokia.

The high-end smartphone won’t be available until next year and won’t be cheap either, but with its durability Sarajarvi believes that buying one physically sound smartphone is better than constantly replacing fragile, inexpensive models.

Adaia is currently leading the way for post Nokia startups, with its new phone now in beta testing. Partnering up with BMW Group’s Designworks USA, Adaia is hoping to take their product to the next level and get it into the market.

“Dualism is the key characteristic of the design,” said Laurenz Schaffer, the president of the BMW Group-owned design firm. “It had to support an extreme, active lifestyle in the outdoors, as well as be appropriate to use in an executive meeting.”

Good things come from change and former Nokia employees are embracing it in hopes of making an economical impact in British Columbia.