Toronto based startup Synaptop is a radically new way to connect people online. The first and best example of how they are doing that is with Synaptop Theatre, a application that lets groups of friends watch videos together online in real-time. So, let’s consider this for a second. Up until now in the Netflix era, you couldn’t watch a movie online together unless you were sitting in front of the same physical screen. With Synaptop Theater, people all over the world can watch movies together in sync while video and text chatting. Think of the use cases, long distance couples wanting a date night for example. Their technology allows you to do the same thing with music where you can upload your own songs and listen to them with friends. They even have a collaboration platform that allow students, artists and developers for example to work together in real time making distance irrelevant. Plus this could be extended for any number of purposes. Customer service and meetings are two examples that are cited by Synaptop. Another thing the company is up to is Live Event which allows someone like a movie studio or and advertiser to run an event live which allows them to get instant engagement, interactivity and exposure. Something that is difficult to generate these days.
The thing is that that Synaptop aren’t a one trick pony. I really think that they’ve come up with something that can effect change on a huge scale. And for those of you who think that I am overstating that, I don’t think I am. They’ve got something here that’s going to be big if the stars align.
Now I spoke to Jane Iordakieva who handles Communications at Synaptop and while admitting that there are some challenges being a startup outside of Silicon Valley (getting developers to come on board can be a challenge for example), they are making a go of it having been around since 2011. And I suspect that things are going to go on a serious upwards trajectory. The company is going to be featured on the April 2nd episode of Dragon’s Den which is a reality television program on CBC Television featuring entrepreneurs pitching their business ideas in order to secure investment finance from a panel of venture capitalists. Now I don’t have any inside info, but the fact that they even made it to TV is very positive. Given how cool their technology is, I really hope that they secure some financing from the Dragons.
I’ll be doing a follow up story after the episode airs, so please keep an eye out for it.
Toronto Cops Go On The Attack Against Uber Drivers
Posted in Commentary with tags Uber on March 31, 2015 by itnerdUber is not having a good time of it. After being nailed in various parts of the planet, it now finds itself under attack in my adopted hometown of Toronto. Here’s the details from The Globe And Mail:
Toronto police have launched a crackdown on UberX drivers, the latest in a series of confrontations between the city and the ride-sharing app company.
At least 11 people were charged earlier this month with a variety of Highway Traffic Act violations, including operating a commercial motor vehicle without proper insurance and picking up passengers for compensation without a taxi licence.
Toronto Police confirmed that those charged were alleged to be working as UberX drivers.
Supt. Scott Wiedmark of Toronto Police said the crackdown was initiated by a few of his officers. Their investigation, dubbed “Project Snowball,” involved undercover officers using the UberX app to summon cars and go for short rides before charging the drivers.
“A couple of my younger officers who are in touch with technology … identified a public-safety issue, particularly with Uber,” he said in an interview Tuesday. “There’s no guarantee that private citizens driving for Uber would be persons of good character, and also the vehicles are not insured, so if there’s an accident, the passengers would be unprotected.”
Gee. That last paragraph sounds like something that I have been saying for a while now. Now the usual disclaimer of “none of these charges have been proven in court” applies here. But it’s quickly becoming clear that Uber’s days of simply thumbing their nose at the law are coming to an end authorities are clearly making moves to make them disappear.
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