After months and months of wrangling and listening to consumer feedback, the CRTC (Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission) has finally laid out a new code of conduct that effectively ends the practice of three-year contracts by the carriers and clarifies the rules on how they unlock smartphones.

Though it’s not exactly the same experience, iOS users can rejoice in knowing that Google Now, the personal assistant, search and voice activation suite, is now freely available on the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. The 3.0 update of the free Google Search app was released today after weeks of rumours, and features almost everything offered in the Android version of Now.

Sony has released this morning a new video that showcases some of the new features that they have implemented in the DUALSHOCK 4 controller for the much anticipated PlayStation 4, set to release this upcoming holiday season. 

Those who skipped out on the BlackBerry Z10 to hold out for the Q10 and its keyboard can now pre-order the device on the Future Shop site or in-store. No official launch date has been confirmed as yet, but it looks like the end of the month could be the best estimate for it to finally hit stores.

When Samsung first unveiled the Galaxy S4 at its Broadway-themed Unpacked event in New York on March 14, the company noted that it was supporting a number of carriers in Canada. Though an official launch date hasn’t been set publicly yet, the carriers who will offer the device have been revealed.

Earlier today, Facebook announced its new Home platform that will act as an overlay for certain Android smartphones, otherwise known as a “skin”, wherein the phone’s software will have a unique look and functions based on the social network.

Future Shop has teamed up with The Fan Zoo to offer great, authentic, sports merchandise signed by athletes.

From Iginla, to Sedin, check out the great authentic merchandise you can grab to decorate your walls, remember great players, or cheer them on in the playoffs.

If you are a fan of comic books, and Marvel Comics, in particular, you might be interested in a short-lived promotion currently going on through the company’s site and mobile apps. Until tomorrow at 11PM EST, Marvel is giving readers 700 different comics for free, all of which are the first issue for almost every series Marvel has come out with. This means you can download and read the first appearances of most characters in the Marvel universe without paying a dime. After Tuesday, they’ll range from $1.99 to $3.99 per issue.

At an event in New York today, HTC unveiled its flagship Android phone for 2013, simply called the HTC One. Considering it “the best phone ever made”, the new handset is a move in a different direction on both the hardware and software sides for HTC, which will likely compete fiercely with other manufacturers for your attention.

Landline phone numbers might seem like something from another era, and in many ways, they are, but if you’ve ever liked the idea of being able to port an existing number to a VoIP service like NetTalk, you now have that option. The company announced that it would enable number porting for landlines over to a NetTalk Duo device, regardless of which company the landline is with, and which version of the Duo you have.

I'm ecstatic to announce that we have a new Guest Blogger joining our Gaming Team on the Tech Blog ~ Brad Pajuluoma! Brad joins PaulH and ErikaSzabo to bring you the latest in Gaming news. Check out his first article - Aliens: Colonial Marines Preview.

If you have a Motorola RAZR HD LTE, then you may have already had the message pop up on your screen telling you that your phone’s system is all set for an update. The long overdue update takes your phone from Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich to 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, and gives you access to Google Now.

RIM is dead, long live the BlackBerry. The company name, Research in Motion, was officially put out of commission today and the new company will simply be called “BlackBerry”. But, of course, the bigger news was that BlackBerry 10 finally launched today. After repeated delays, sinking stock prices, user abandonment and bad press, the company’s biggest gamble yet officially took off today. I managed to get a BlackBerry Z10 and have already started playing around with the handset.

If you were ever on the fence about trying out Rdio, you can go way beyond just the seven-day trial they usually offer and stream music for free for a full six months instead. The new deal, announced earlier today, allows you to sign up without any credit card or payment information to start listening to anything in the full catalog of 18 million tracks.