Success stories
A decoder ring for the mobile generation.
Cell phones are constantly adding more functionality, becoming more powerful and even more indispensable. Simon Woodside, founder and CEO of Semacode, is giving phones a new function: a decoder ring for the 21st century.
Semacode’s system uses mobile phones with cameras to snap pictures of optical bar codes containing a URL. Semacode’s software reads the barcode, finds the web address and loads it to the phone.
Take your phone to a bus stop in the States. Check the sign for your semacode. Snap it with your mobile phone, click, and load a site to find out how many more minutes you’ll be waiting for your bus. That was just one idea Woodside had years ago when he was developing Semacode. Today, it’s a reality.
“The beauty of using a mobile phone is that it’s such a widely available technology,” Woodside says. “Almost all phones you buy today have cameras on them. They’re everywhere -- 1.5 billion phone users in the world.”
The applications for Semacode are broad: from treasure-hunt style games to business cards. The company targets the people who develop ubiquitous computing applications, like transit systems, network operators, phone manufacturers and wireless operators, but it’s the end users who really appreciate the technology.
Semacode just announced it’s the first company to develop optical barcode recognition for Java phones. That step is making its technology universal. Watch what Woodside does: in 18 months, he wants every mobile phone that can handle it to be able to read semacodes.
Technology for healthier hearts.
Read a food label lately? If you’re like a lot of Canadians, you’re paying close attention to words like trans fats. But take a closer look at the processed foods you’re eating: most contain saturated fats which have a negative effect on heart health.
Saturated fats are produced artificially or obtained from natural sources, such as the palm plant. Either way, they have a negative impact on health. But Guelph-based Fractec is changing the way industry looks at fat. They’ve developed an innovative new process for structuring any liquid vegetable oil without using trans fats or tropical oils. The process is economical, uses local vegetable oils, and creates a margarine-like material with functional and health benefits.
Fractec’s world-leading researchers are spinning their expertise in fats and oils into major intellectual property developments for food, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and cosmetics companies around the world.
No limits.
Desire2Learn is quickly becoming industry standard in colleges, universities, schools, associations, and other educational organizations across the U.S. and Canada. More than 2 million users are logging in to a Desire2Learn enterprise eLearning system worldwide.
Headquartered in a beautiful converted warehouse in downtown Kitchener, Desire2Learn staff play hard and work hard, creating innovative eLearning products and services that incorporate the latest technologies to customers worldwide.
Communitech has followed Desire2Learn from start-up to global success story, assisting them as an early-growth company. Today, Desire2Learn is an active Communitech member, participating in initiatives such as waterlootechjobs.com.
Space innovation.
Intricate systems for space are being built at the country’s top designer and manufacturer of space hardware. Right now, more than 150 satellites orbit the earth with COM DEV technology. When NASA’s Cassini spacecraft circles Saturn, COM DEV parts are right on board. They’re also helping spacecraft collect comet dust and send samples home, and observe Earth’s clouds to probe water content to accurately predict changes in our climate.
Like most tech companies here, COM DEV is global, with operations in the UK and China. But Waterloo Region is home, and has been for 30 years. That’s something worth celebrating, and celebrate we did! Communitech recently hosted a 30th birthday party for COM DEV with a major event in Cambridge. We also work with COM DEV on major initiatives like talent recruitment.
Thumbs rock.
Blackberry is one of the globe’s hottest technologies, used by the world’s top rock stars, business execs, celebrities and politicians.
RIM works on breakthroughs for a world without wires, led by chief entrepreneurs, Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie. With 1 million subscribers added in less than six months, more than 3 million thumbs are now addicted to RIM’s Blackberry, allowing them to stay connected wherever they may be. Blackberry recently stole the number one spot in handheld market share from PalmOne.
RIM and Communitech have had a close partnership since we first began, when RIM was a founding member of our organization. Today, RIM employees participate in Peer 2 Peer groups and Communitech works with RIM on key projects like our talent recruitment initiative. RIM is also a passionate supporter of students and young innovators that will one day create the next “RIM”.
Want to find out more about other area companies? Take a look at Communitech’s online Tech Directory.