Map of Canadian area codes from the CNAOver the next decade, many Canadians will be seeing new area codes in their parts of the country, and the high demand by mobile devices is largely the reason why.

But it’s not just the activation of mobile devices that’s causing this need for more telephone numbers, it’s the ways we’re using them, too.

Glenn Pilley, Director of the Canadian Numbering Administrator, explained to Yahoo! Canada News that while mobile phones do play a significant role in the number of phone numbers a person has, there’s a variety of apps and other mobile devices like tablets that are using those phone numbers, too.

“Items like iPads, which use cell phone frequencies, are assigned telephone numbers,” Pilley explained. Many of tablets on today's market can operate on the 4G or LTE networks in Canada, the network as cellular devices. In order to operate on those networks, the device needs its own phone number.

Pilley added that there are also apps on many mobile devices which can be used for text messaging

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Facebook (Getty Images)

With over one billion users worldwide, you'd think that Facebook pretty much has a lock on social networking online.

It's true that the Palo Alto, California-based tech giant is still our go-to place to connect with friends and family online. Facebook isn't going away anytime soon.

That being said, there's more than a few people out there that think Facebook's not working so well.

Criticism of Facebook has grown considerably over the past year, with complaints ranging from the site being much more interested in investors than a great user experience, or that user privacy is becoming decidedly (and unnervingly) less important to Facebook's management team.

But what's the most troubling complaint? Facebook isn't cool anymore.

In response to these claims, there's some tech entrepreneurs that have decided to use the one element that made Facebook so valuable in its early days at Harvard University — exclusivity — and apply it to their own start-up businesses.

These businesses are

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BlackBerry pushed an update dubbed “update 2.1.0.1526” which includes improved bridging with “legacy” BlackBerry devices, improved browser speed, boosted audio and a better experience when setting up Yahoo! and Gmail accounts.Last week, the first BlackBerry 10 phone, the BlackBerry Z10, hit store shelves in Canada, getting people across the country excited about the new operating system. If you’re a BlackBerry Playbook user however, you might have to wait a little bit longer before you can join in on the fun.

BlackBerry pushed an update last night, dubbed “update 2.1.0.1526” (much less titillating than “BB10”) which includes improved bridging with “legacy” BlackBerry devices, improved browser speed, boosted audio and a better experience when setting up Yahoo! and Gmail accounts, Mobile Syrup reports. The BlackBerry App World has also been re-branded to be in line with the BB10 BlackBerry World App and the ability to make purchases in-app.

[ On Y! Finance: BlackBerry Playbook update coming on heels of BB10 ]

One of the biggest changes that comes with the legacy functionality improvement is the ability to interact with SMS messages on the BlackBerry Playbook.

But that’s going to do little to placate those who

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The bill was characterized by Public Safety Minister Vic Toews as “either stand with us or with the child pornographers".Earlier this week, the federal Tories put to rest the ‘Protecting Children from Internet Predators Act,’ a bill which sought to fight child pornography by allowing police to intercept and track online communication.

Largely characterized by Public Safety Minister Vic Toews standing in the House of Commons and saying “either stand with us or with the child pornographers,” the bill was initially characterized as the best means the government had of tracking those conducting illegal activity online.

Unfortunately, the powers that the bill granted police were far-reaching, and its implementation would have meant that police could watch anyone’s Internet activity at any time across Canada.

Privacy and civil rights groups fought back, and with the death of Bill C-30, it looks like they’ve won their battle.

But the war is far from over.

[ Related: TekSavvy to get more time to inform customers about legal action ]

OpenMedia.ca, an online privacy group that has been active in the fight for

Read More »from Bill C-30 killed by Conservatives but Internet privacy may still be at risk

Rumours are beginning to surface about Apple’s next big thing: a wearable digital device dubbed the iWatch.

According to The Daily Mail, Chinese websites began reporting in December that Apple is working with chip-maker Intel on developing a “wrist-worn gadget.” The report went on to say that the device, thought to be going on sale sometime this year, would be Bluetooth enabled and have a 1.5-inch OLED display.

For designers, though, the inevitable smart watch by Apple has been an object of speculation for years. The concept designs have widely varied, ranging in style, functionality and futuristic features but have all largely adhered to the same Apple esthetic, making any of them viable (some may be more plausible than others). Here’s a collection of some of those designs:

The smart watch concept has already started to gain momentum with the Pebble, an e-paper watch that began as a Kickstarter project and became one of the highlights at this year’s CES. Many of the features expected

Read More »from Apple’s iWatch still a rumour, but designers try their hand at bringing it to life

Longing for love with Valentine's Day just around the corner?

Chances are you're not alone, and if you're willing to embrace this year's annual day of love, there are several apps that can help you out. Here are a few of our favourites.

Tinder

Tinder is an iPhone app that is designed to connect you with fellow users in your area. The app pulls in photos from the user's Facebook profile and locates Tinder users that have shown interest in you. According to the website, everything is anonymous "until someone you like, likes you back."

"It limits the conversations to people you've actually expressed an interest in," said Sean Rad, Tinder co-founder and CEO, in a Reuters story. "So each of those conversations starts at a very deep level."

[ Related: Love can lead to leaked personal data, depressing pre-Valentine’s Day survey finds ]

MeetMoi

MeetMoi is very similar to Tinder in that it connects you with nearby users, but it specializes in speedy one-on-one introductions. Once you've found

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As even BlackBerry moves away from its emphasis on physical keyboards, we’re all slowly learning to adapt to the cold, slick reality of touchscreens and virtual keyboards. If you’re one of those who yearns for the feeling of a real keyboard, or whose ears perk up at the clickity-clack sound of keys, all hope is not lost.

One intrepid Etsy seller has created a way to use your iPad while typing on a typewriter. The USB Typewriter, sold by Etsy member Jack Zylkin, offers you somewhere to dock your iPad, essentially turning it into a screen while you type happily away on one of several styles of classic typewriter.

[ Last week’s Must-Have: Never run out of batteries again with device-charging bags ]

What makes these particularly cool is the fact that they are real, classic typewriters that have been converted to work with the iPad. If you don’t own an iPad but want one of these machines anyway, fear not: USB Typewriter works when plugged in as a keyboard to PCs and Macs as well. It

Read More »from Must-Have Monday: Take your iPad on a vintage typing journey

Raspberry Pi model
There's a delicious new treat in the digital world.

It's the size of a credit card, costs just $25 and may be starting a quiet revolution in how people work with computers.

It's called Raspberry Pi — a micro-sized computer that's making some serious waves among educators, businesses and geeks alike.

Originally conceived by computer developers in the U.K., it's been built with the intention of inspiring kids to learn computer science. The Pi is a very bare bones computer — it's basically a stripped-down motherboard when you get down to the core of it — but has a surprising number of features that most modern computers have, including an HDMI port, USB ports, video and audio output and can be connected to a TV or laptop (among other things).

Here's how it's laid out:

Raspberry Pi breakdown

So far, the Pi has been making waves with schools in Britain, Europe and the Middle East that want kids to learn how to program. Yet with such a cheap cost and surprising amounts of power for such a small device, there's

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