Announcement

 Just imagine if your child only knew that his car seat was designed by the same company that also designs race car seats and aircraft seating. OK, let’s face it: you probably find it ultra-cool yourself! That’s the reality with the line of premium car seats and strollers by Recaro.

August has always been one of my favourite months for new video games as it means a new Madden NFL game is right around the corner, and just as exciting, that game more than any other signifies that the tidal wave of new AAA fall/holiday games has officially begun. Before the next school year and cooler weather begins, here are the sizzling hot games releasing in August 2016.

Best Buy gives away amazing prizes every year in June to celebrate gaming during the week of E3. Prizes will include consoles from Xbox One and PlayStation.

BlackBerry isn’t ashamed to promote its latest offering, the Leap smartphone, to anyone who will pay attention. Proudly positioned as a cost-effective, updated version of the Z10, the Leap is targeted at the busy professional who has very specific demands—namely performance and security—from the device they use, without needing the bells and whistles that come with higher-end models.

Square is one of the hottest tech companies going. By providing a plug-and-play credit card reader that lets anyone accept credit cards for payment by using their smartphone or tablet, Square is bringing sophisticated payment options to the masses. Perfect for small businesses, vendors at special events and anyone whose customers want to pay using a credit card —Square lets you run your business from anywhere. Square processed over $20 billion in transactions in 2013, proving just how popular this innovative approach is. Now you can pick up a Square credit card reader or tablet stand at Best Buy, starting at under $10.  

Best Buy has custom-built a smart home experience at the National Home Show in Toronto to help everyone learn how easy it is to automate your own home.  Learn about the latest in security solutions, lighting, appliances and more.

Fans of Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 operating system have less choice in smartphones than their Android counterparts, so it’s always news when a new device arrives in Canada. Nokia’s Lumia line of smartphones set the standard for the Windows Phone experience and the Lumia 625 is set to raise the bar for value-priced Windows mobile devices. Improving on 2012’s Lumia 620, the 625 gains a faster Snapdragon CPU, bigger display, LTE compatibility and a leap in battery life. There are some compromises compared to the 620 (for example, NFC support has been dropped) but the Lumia 625 provides much of the experience of more expensive smartphones in a budget-friendly device. Expect to see it soon at Best Buy.  

The wait is finally over! Sony's highly-anticipated virtual reality headset, PlayStation VR, coming out on October 13. I'll have a full review of the VR device coming soon, so stay tuned. This month also marks the launch of two huge first-person shooter games with the arrival of Battlefield 1, taking us into the visceral all-out combat of World War I, and Titanfall 2, which is coming to PlayStation gamers for the very first time. What other games will capture your game time in October? Let's take a look!

We all want to save money and VoIP (Voice over IP) technology is one of those great ways to cut your spending. It uses the Internet and its cheap data as an alternative to making voice calls using a telephone or cell phone. Great idea. When it comes to VoIP, netTALK is one of leaders in Canada and the company has just announced the launch of a new Android app that’s exclusive to Canadians. This netTALK app features a long list of benefits including a free Canadian number, free international calls between app users and free international radio streaming. Given the popularity of NetTALK’s Duo VOiP telephone hardware, this app is definitely worth checking out.  

This past weekend, I was lucky enough to be in Toronto for the Cineplex WorldGaming Canadian Championships 2016 featuring Call of Duty Black Ops III, and it was awesome. The competition was fierce, the crowd was great and the winner walked away with a $20,000 grand prize.