If you’re not familiar with Toon Boom, it’s a well-known developer of animation software, and it’s also a homegrown company based in Montreal. At CES three weeks ago, the company announced that it would be giving away copies of Flip Boom Doodle for free via download until January 31.

There are few feelings like the times when you discover something unexpectedly. This is how I stumbled upon Jango Radio after browsing through some of the music apps in Apple’s App Store on my iPhone. For a free app that streams full-length songs based on artists you like, it performs far better than you might expect.

When Edmund McMillen's The Binding of Isaac was released last September, no one knew it was going to be a smash hit.  With the success of Super Meat Boy still growing, it could have easily overshadowed the indie game, but thanks to its (once again) nostalgic and addicting qualities, Isaac quickly became much more than anyone (especially McMillen) would have imagined.  Now Isaac's "roguelike" exploration of childhood trauma is close to selling 450,000 copies.  Quite the feat! 

Poor Alex Mercer.  He was once our hero, combating the oppressive force of the US military Blackwatch faction while simultaneously unearthing the corruption within Gentek, the creators of the destructive Blacklight virus. Those heroic days are long behind us now, as Mercer has decided to set-up his lair in what remains of the Manhattan region of New York City (now renamed New York Zero) and he's got one objection in mind: the obliteration of the Blackwatch army using whatever means necessary.

Unfortunately for Mercer, one of his newly infected victims, Sergeant James Heller, is severely ticked off and is on the hunt to murder his creator and destroy the Blacklight Virus once and for all.

Nintendo's latest quarterly report didn't paint a very rosy picture for the company. Profits were down 61 percent from the last quarter, a scary sign since Christmas is traditionally a good time for videogame companies. But Nintendo's President Satoru Iwata told investors not to panic. The Wii U is just around the corner and Iwata promises it will pack a punch, sporting new technology we haven't seen in consoles to date, including near field communication.

What's the big deal about Facebook's new Timeline feature? Well, there's really no big deal other than it's yet another design change for Facebook.

BUT .. if you've not been playing nicely on the social networks, the timeline feature makes it easier for people to go back and dig through your past.

As January turns closer to February, it’s almost inevitable that the rumour mill will start spinning furiously towards March, when it’s expected that Apple will unveil the iPad 3, a device that should be a greater leap forward than the iPad 2 was to the first. Here are some of the details being thrown around on the Web right now.

You can kind of think of it like Kobo for audiobooks, particularly since there’s a Canadian company behind it. Audiobooks.com is what they’re calling the “world’s first unlimited cloud-based service for audio books”. Not exactly like Kobo, since you don’t download books to your device — you’ll stream them to your computer, smartphone or tablet instead.

I've never tried counting to 6.5 million, but assuming it's doable, I would have counted to the number of PlayStation family hardware units that Sony sold during the busy holiday season.  What's really impressive is that the sales figure spans four video game platforms, including the PS2 which somehow still manages to have legs after more than eleven years on the market. 

Here's how it all breaks down:

Angry Birds.  Angry Birds. Angry Birds.  It's almost as if that's the only app in the store the way it garners so much attention.  But when an app can spin off into plush toys, tshirts, toques and more, it's a big deal.

Angry Birds is a fun game, but it's not the only addictive game in the store.  Once you've mastered the slingshottery of launching birds at pigs, try these other games that you are guaranteed not to be able to put down.

Almost every camera has a basic flash.  These little pop-ups may be good in an emergency, but they can also ruin a photo.  

A great photograph will last forever.  

Investing in a proper flash is a safe way to guarantee a memorable picture.

Do you own a Windows Phone and are looking for a few new games to snuggle up to this winter?  Microsoft has just announced that starting February 1, they will be releasing five "must-have" games each week via the Games Marketplace.  Whether you're into arcade shooters, car-racing, action-stealth or even chicken experimenting, there's something for everyone. 

Don't be evil.  It was simple motto for Google as it blazed a path through the heydays of the web. 

Come March 1, that promise will disappear.

Activision's online service and community platform for Modern Warfare 3, Call of Duty Elite, is rolling out its first two content packs today for Xbox Live members with premium subscriptions.

Was this game overlooked? I feel like it came out and then sank without a trace--certainly no one has really talked about it much since--but I was just checking Wikipedia (ah, Wikipedia) and it claims that sales "exceeded" Ubisoft's expecations, so maybe it didn't do too badly after all. Anyway, it took me a while to get to this game despite it sitting on my "to-play" pile for ages, and although I don't think it's the best game ever or anything, it was definitely worth my time, and it might be worth yours too.

The loveable, limbless hero of Rayman Origins is back, this time in 3D.  Ubisoft has announced the Nintendo 3DS version will be hitting North American retail shelves on March 20, 2012. 

In video games, evolution often brings such innovation that going back to the franchise's roots can be a risky endeavour.  Not so with Rayman Origins, a game that was lauded for bringing back the inescapable charm and clever 2D platforming the series was once known for. 

In the past 25 years cell phone use in Canada has grown from just 100 000 people to more than 24M. Along with that increase in mobile phone usage has come an increase in health risks. Or has it?

So last weekend I went to see popular chip-band Anamanaguchi (it was great) and then afterwards, for whatever reason, we went back to a friend's apartment and listened to old bits from The Best Show on WFMU. It's... well it's the best show, and we listened to this episode with "The Gorch" a character who claims he is who the Fonz was based on, and who sings this song (here ably covered by Ted Leo). For some reason on reading these Xbox Live House Party dates, I started singing...

"There's gonna be a house party tonight! Everyone's gonna feel alright! You've got Xbox by your side, polishing my chain, you know I'm going to do it right, tonight."

Hmm that bit about polishing my chain doesn't make any sense.

That Resident Evil 6 announcement came out of nowhere, eh? Or was I just not paying attention? But still... man. It's coming so soon too! But let's say you can't wait till November. Well, Resident Evil: Revelations hits for Nintendo 3DS on February 7th. But let's say you can't wait for that! Well there's a demo of it on the 3DS eShop right now.