Paul Brent hosts ‘Tech Now’ every Sunday as part of CTV Ottawa’s News at 6:00. ‘Tech Now’ looks at the Capital’s technology sector along with the global industry.

Tough times for Ottawa’s tech sector

April 16, 2009

The March decline in jobs continues a trend that has gone on for several months, yet overall tech still fares better than most sectors.

Revolution is calling on Skype

April 01, 2009

Skype began six years ago and just two years later, it was bought up by EBay for nearly three billion dollars.  The service allows members to make free calls to each other using the Internet, and the company is now gradually expanding its stable of services.

Eye on how people look at sites

March 25, 2009

Eye tracking is the study of where our eyes move while we read, be it a newspaper, webpage or an ad. Eye tracking studies tell me that if you’re reading this item in the paper, only 40 per cent of you will read the whole column. If you are reading online only, 63 per cent will read the entire item.

Headphones go high tech, custom

March 19, 2009

Are you sitting on a bus reading this while listening to music?  For some people, wearing headphones is a way to avoid having to talk to anyone, and for others, top-quality portable music devices have brought a new age of headphones.

Local firms strut their stuff

March 12, 2009

If you have a new idea, it can be very tough to get funding to take that idea to market.

More tough times ahead for Nortel

March 05, 2009

It was 48 years ago that Northern Electric, the forerunner to Nortel, came to Ottawa with fewer than 50 engineers and opened a research lab.

Considering a career in technology

February 26, 2009

I had an interesting glimpse into the world of young people and technology this week as a judge for an education awards program in Ottawa.

Obama’s pioneering online presence

February 19, 2009

US. President Barack Obama used the Internet like no politician before to help win the presidential race. 

Why is the tech sector such a hard sell with potential employees?

February 12, 2009

In a tough economy, even tech firms like Sony, Panasonic, Microsoft and Intel are trimming jobs.

Keeping kids safe on Net

February 05, 2009

Not long ago, I sat with a police officer in the RCMP National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre in Ottawa.

Online job sites explode with activity

January 29, 2009

The global economic situation will likely worsen in the next couple of months before it shows any improvement.

Ottawa firms show innovation in Vegas

January 22, 2009

Nortel may be facing a huge task to survive, but that didn’t stop them from having a presence at the Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas in early January.

Gadgets galore at Vegas show

January 15, 2009

There’s no doubt the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is big, with over 2,500 companies and 110,000 visitors from Jan. 8 to 11.

Tech may be in for a tough year

January 08, 2009

What will 2009 bring for the tech industry and for you as a consumer of tech products?

Christmas advice and a tech-show preview

December 18, 2008

One week from today will be Christmas Day. A lot of presents will have arrived containing some technology, whether its toys for young children or toys for the bigger kids who like things like big-screen TVs and smart phones. 

Christmas cheer can turn to Christmas grief

December 11, 2008

The Christmas season is prime time for shopping — and for stealing. Those who would steal identity information or credit card and banking information see a vast opportunity.

The front line of image searches

December 04, 2008

It’s estimated that about 15 per cent of the billions of online searches we do involves the hunt for images.

Online ease drives most shoppers

November 27, 2008

Close to 50 per cent of Canadians shopped online in 2007. However, we still lag behind our cousins in the United States of America, where nearly 80 per cent of U.S. ‘netizens’ made an online purchase last year.

Making use of that extra space

November 20, 2008

The hunt for parking is a reality in modern urban life. In recent months websites have been springing up trying to help those on the hunt.

These are sweet days for Apple

November 13, 2008

Last quarter, Apple sold 6.9 million iPhones — 800,000 more than Research In Motion’s BlackBerry — and that makes Apple the third largest mobile phone supplier.

City firm helping drivers meet ban

November 06, 2008

No handheld cellphones … No dialing, no texting, no handheld GPS, no checking e-mails on the Blackberry.

The family that techs together …

October 30, 2008

The Pew Internet and American Life Project turns out a steady stream of studies on how North Americans are using technology.

A personal assistant for a buck a day

October 23, 2008

We have all heard about the “hurry-up” lifestyle of the digital age and the big question is: How can I keep up?

Billion-dollar market tantalizes firm

October 16, 2008

A Gatineau company, PlantCML, already sells close to 90 per cent of 9-1-1 emergency call centre equipment in North America. And now with an injection of investment they think they can move into a new market space.

You are never too old for the Net

October 09, 2008

Using technology is no longer just a young person’s game. In fact, several studies have shown older users get more out of the Internet by using it in more ways than teens and 20-somethings do.

Consumer demand swamping ISPs

October 02, 2008

In recent weeks, there’s been an interesting combination of studies, ad campaigns and company announcements regarding the state of our Internet delivery system.

E-mail evolving to stay effective

September 25, 2008

E-mail seems to have become more of a burden than a benefit in our lives. It could be that there is just too much spam, with some estimates putting the total number of junk messages at over 90 per cent of all e-mail volume. Or maybe it’s that we’re having trouble keeping up.

Parents should turn to tech-savvy kids

September 11, 2008

The kids are back at school and the laptops, cellphones, iPods, MSN, text messaging and every other form of technology are all  getting a real workout from the younger generation.

Should tech industry be worried?

September 04, 2008

This past week, Ottawa’s Terry Matthews — a serial entrepreneur and billionaire — issued a dire warning about the tech industry. He said there are too many negatives facing Canadian firms and the problems in Ottawa should serve as a warning.

Mag site’s future in jeopardy?

August 28, 2008

Less than one month ago, a website popped up offering consumers a free look at hundreds of magazines, from Time to National Inquirer, from Men’s Health to Umm and Cosmo.