Tech

Earlier this spring, we reported that Facebook is opening up an office in Vancouver. Naturally, people were excited, however, the office is supposedly only temporary. Now, Techvibes is reporting that the Facebook Vancouver office will be located in Coal Harbour and not in the tech hubs of Gastown, Yaletown or even Mount Pleasant.

Love an online deal, but hate being bombarded with daily deal sites like Groupon or Living Social? There’s a new Vancouver e-commerce site, darelle.com, with the cure. It’s not a discount deal or a flash sale website, instead darelle features awesome packages from local businesses that you actually want to buy.

Who is SoMedia Networks?

SoMedia Networks is a pioneer of globally scalable cloud-based video content production services, crowdsourced workforce management systems and automated video production platforms.

We’re happy to announce that Vancouver will be hosting its 4^th edition of the Startup Weekend worldwide events that continue to empower startup entrepreneurs everywhere. This year’s event will be held on May 31 to June 2, 2013 at the downtown Vancouver BCIT Campus.

If you haven’t encountered the idea of a Bitcoin yet, you probably will soon. And, if you’re like me, you’ll scoff, then raise an eyebrow, then speculate and then get distracted. Hopefully, I can get you through this before you reach step four.

The Bitcoin is a purely digital  and completely decentralized currency which is acquired through purchase or mined digitally.  The process of mining works very much like an actual mine only the mine shafts are mathematical algorithms, the depth is complexity and anyone can participate. Sounds crazy, right? Like ‘crazy-aunt-on-her-third-margarita crazy’. Well, the execs at PayPal are fascinated by it, over $150 million in Bitcoins are traded daily and major sites like OkCupid are now accepting them as payment.

In light of the recent layoffs in Vancouver’s tech and gaming industry, Vancouver Social Games, A Thinking Ape, and EXP Bar will be hosting a pop-up job fair on Friday May 3rd – an industry event, open to anyone looking for work in the social gaming industry. The event was announced yesterday and is already sold out with 100 people signed up to attend. The list of studios participating in the pop-up job fair is growing.

Smartphone and wireless device usage has exploded in British Columbia, to the point that the Canadian Radio-Television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) will be introducing a new phone area code to the province 2 years early.

NAMCO BANDAI Studios Inc. announced yesterday from Japan that its new subsidiary, NAMCO BANDAI Studios Vancouver Inc., will start operations in June. The studio will develop online social games and significantly boost jobs in British Columbia’s technology sector.

(Full Disclosure: I wanted to test drive the Jetta Turbo Hybrid so badly, that I had my friend take me all the way out to a Richmond industrial park to beg and plead with the folks at VW Canada to let me take one out for a week long spin. Thankfully, they said “Sure! Why not?”)