A large, wall-length billboard was installed in the station, designed to look like a series of supermarket shelves and displaying images and prices of a range of common products. Each sign also includes a QR code. Users scan the code of any product they would like to purchase, thereby adding it to their online shopping cart.

Once the transaction is completed on the online store, the products are delivered to the customer’s home by the end of the day. The strategy makes productive use of commuters’ waiting time, while simultaneously saving shoppers time spent going to the supermarket.

PHP Developer (5-7 years+, $35.00-45.00/hour based on experience)
Full Time

We are seeking an experienced web developer for a full time position starting immediately. The candidate must have excellent communication skills and be able to work efficiently and independently. Preference will be given to those who can demonstrate past experience working in a developer role on large enterprise projects. Please note that we are seeking local Canadian talent only (i.e. those who can work from within our office in Oakville 4-5 days weekly).

QUALIFICATIONS / EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:
• Applicant must have at least 5 to 7 years of experience in design, development and deployment of web-based software applications.
• Flexible in working independently and collectively in a team environment with the ability to work across multiple disciplines to achieve great results.
• Ability to take ownership of the entire development of projects from end to end.
• Extensive experience with all aspects of the LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) stack.
• Working knowledge of object-oriented programming concepts and techniques using PHP 5.
• Excellent knowledge of relational database design and multi-tier web application architecture in conjunction with MySQL.
• Ability to implement code efficiency techniques such as reuse of common modules and identification of opportunities for abstraction, consolidation and/or reusability.
• Experience with development and consumption of web-services (SOAP, REST, XML-RPC).
• Must possess excellent debugging and trouble-shooting techniques.
• Evaluation of feature designs and how they translate into the appropriate technology.
• Application development experience integrating large product catalog databases into front-end applications.
• Experience with version control software such as Subversion or GIT.
• Experience with testing methodologies including: regression and stress testing.
• Knowledge of web front-end development, including HTML, DHTML, JavaScript, AJAX, CSS, browser capability and accessibility requirements.

NICE TO HAVE
• Specific experience with Magento 1.4.x or other commerce frameworks

PREFERRED ATTRIBUTES
Experienced in developing complete solutions, from beginning to end, in PHP and MySQL or PostgreSQL.
Knowledge of Unix or Linux is a plus
A quick learner who can make the right decisions in solving common web development issues.
Excellent communication skills.
Dedicated to meeting timelines
Assessing project deliverables and deadlines accurately and warning the team in advance of any expected delays
Ensuring project from a development point of view is not running out of scope
Deferring to the PM for any timeline, scope, or new business related inquiries from the client.

If you are interested in this position, please email hr@jasperstudios.com.
Please, no agency or offshore inquiries.

The site’s functionality attempts at going beyond “just a website” for the channel – it features escapes and destinations giving people a haven to come and let their imaginations run wild with limitless vacation possibilities and ideas.

The site aims to have a trip advisor feel to it and hopes to become more of a consultation guide for prospective travellers.

Check it out at: http://www.travelandescape.ca

Solid production values, engaging keynotes, informative breakout sessions, and some really amazing souls with great ideas to share at the various partner pavilions.

Much of the buzz at this year’s XCOM conference was centered around heightened integration between eBay’s new subsidiaries and strategic partners (i.e. Magento, PayPal, Adobe, etc.), cementing an already amazing set of independent offerings into a veritable force-to-be-reckoned-with in the future of mobile retail.

In one short sentence the summation of the event is this:

X.Commerce made a convincing case for asserting and proving that the future of online retail, in particular mobile online retail, is X.commerce. 

And so just what is X.commerce?  It’s a timely and exciting incestuous marriage of already rock solid enterprise tools and service providers, with Magento Enterprise at its core.

Some of the XCOM keynotes however were extremely airline-magazine-disease inducing: super sexed up to make things appear a little too easy-ish and plug-and-play for this discerning young developer’s liking.  The material left anyone with even a surface-level technical background begging for real matter-of-fact-down-home-truths rather than predictable BS marketing fluff.  We would loved to have been given some real time-lines for the roll-outs of their sexy new features for example.  And sexy they are dear reader:  Take ye note of some key things to be excited about for 2012:

• Continued (and accelerated) support for an already stellar commerce platform – Magento Enterprise
• PayPal Access (downright SWEET for mobile view applications) for anytime/anywhere frictionless macro/micro payments
• Adobe Analytics (extremely attractive new business developer friendly integrated commerce metrics)

We’re super excited about tracking the release (and stability) of the above, and some of them will hopefully be polished enough and ready for market  by Q4 2012.

The closing keynote, delivered by Chris Bangle was particularly interesting and inspiring, along with the story of Toms shoes and the example they have set by forming an organization with generosity (i.e excellence and purpose) at its core.

All told it was a great time.  Thank you X.commerce – well worth the trip to San Francisco!  We’ll be back next year!

“The X.commerce Innovate Developer Conference 2011 is designed for anyone—systems integrators, developers, merchants—to meet up on all things commerce. For the first time, solutions from beginning to end for any system and storefront will be available for discussion, or even for use.

Over the course of two days—and a memorable evening party graced with a headlining act—attendees can choose among 49 different sessions of round-tables, demos, presentations and workshops.

Topics cover the essentials for:
• Commerce trends
• Mobile commerce trends
• Technology trends
• eBay
• PayPal
• Magento
• and X.commerce itself

Speakers include local and international experts from the marketplace as well as the back end of coding; from inside the powerhouses of eBay and PayPal as well as explosive entrants in the field like Where.com, Milo, and RedLaser.”

Learn more by visiting www.innovate-conference.com

Straight from the horses mouth/video production team, sit back and enjoy Magnetos introduction to their eCommerce platform.

On Thursday, citing a “well-placed source,” VentureBeat reported that among a handful of suitors, Amazon is the “closest” to landing webOS, which HP acquired from Palm in 2010, hailed as an operating system that would reinvent everything from smartphones to PCs to printers, and then put out to pasture after little more than a year of development.

Though HP has been nothing short of utterly confusing with its webOS strategy, the operating system was never short of admirers. And according to reports, HTC, Samsung, and even Facebook have considering buying the thing. As is typical when such rumors surface, HP stayed mum when reached for comment.

Amazon’s brand-new Kindle Fire tablet is built on a heavily modified version of Google’s Android OS, and a leap for webOS wouldn’t be all that surprising.

Android has been hit with all sorts of litigation over the last several months, with big names such as Apple and Oracle claiming patent and copyright infringement, and Microsoft is pressuring Android manufacturers into patent licensing deals. Having its own operating system would help keep Amazon out of the fire. Unlike other rumored webOS suitors, Amazon not only competes with Apple in the tablet market, but also as a media content provider.

Amazon could not be reached immediately for comment, but there are certain signs within the company that give the rumor some credence. Late last year, Jon Rubenstein, the former CEO of Palm, joined Amazon’s board of directors. Then, in July, in a move that many saw as a demotion due to poor performance, he was given a new role within HP as senior vice president of innovation — a fairly ambiguous title.

Shortly thereafter, Rubenstein did an interview with This is my next where he said: “Amazon would certainly make a great partner, because they have a lot of characteristics that would help them expand the webOS ecosystem. As to whether there’s been discussions or not … that’s obviously not something I’m going to comment about.”

By Caleb Garling wired.com

“In recent years, the demand for programmers with Magento experience has grown by a factor of 13x”

Seems like Magento’s power and flexibility is giving both merchants and developers something to talk about–a true eCommerce platform for growth!

by Koby Oz

While Facebook prominently advertises that its service is “free and always will be” on its homepage, it hasn’t stopped false rumors of a pay scheme from going viral on numerous occasions, most recently in conjunction with the major profile redesign that the site announced earlier this month.

Given the ubiquity of these rumors, we thought it was worth exploring their origin — and why we can guarantee Facebook will never charge you to use its service.

A long history

Chain letters — which date back to the days of snail mail — have dogged nearly every online service that achieved critical mass. While they vary in the details, the general premise is that something negative will happen to your account unless you spread the message to your friends.

Facebook apps go beyond ‘like’ feature

Facebook unveils ‘Timeline’ feature

Andy Samberg spoofs Mark Zuckerberg

On AIM, this took the form of IMs that needed to be shared with friends to avoid account deletion. On Friendster, rumors spread that the service was getting “too crowded” — and hence, they needed to determine which accounts were active and remove those that weren’t. On MySpace, word was that the service was getting so popular that the site would soon start charging members, and the only way to avoid the fees was to — you guessed it — forward the message to your friends.

Of course, none of these situations ever actually materialized, but it didn’t stop millions of users from passing the message along. Snopes has a detailed overview of these scams and others that have permeated the web over the years, going all the way back to the early days of Hotmail.

Facebook’s business model

The recent round of Facebook rumors suggest that the site will start charging for membership as a result of the upcoming new profiles. The new Facebook does indeed feature some dramatic changes, but you can rest assured that one of them isn’t that the site will start charging you.

Here’s why: For starters, it doesn’t need the money. Facebook is estimated to be on track to pull in around $4 billion in revenue in 2011, and has raised more than $2 billion in venture capital. It’s also on track to go public in 2012, a move that would bring in significantly more capital for the company and value it at between $80 billion and $100 billion.

More importantly, the company’s business model revolves around having as many users as possible. Remaining free is paramount to doing that. Facebook makes its money on highly targeted advertising that’s based on the plethora of data that its members share on the site. Restricting users’ ability to use the site would actually be detrimental to that model.

Facebook didn’t even introduce its ad platform until 2007 — because the company wanted to focus on adding users as quickly as possible.

That’s not to say social networking sites haven’t found success in charging members for some services. LinkedIn offers premium memberships with features such as enhanced search, direct messaging and seeing who has viewed your profile. Some dating sites, like Match.com and eHarmony charge users to message each other. Still, those services are appealing to a specific audience — Facebook’s goal is to connect everyone in the world. That can’t be done if you need a credit card to use the service.

Why it will never charge you

Of course, Facebook is in business to make money. Beyond advertising, it has found ways to profit directly from its users through Facebook Credits, a form of currency that can be used on the site in social games like FarmVille and Mafia Wars.

In the future, we expect Facebook to find additional ways to monetize. The company could grow its credit system to become a rival to PayPal. We could also see Facebook extending its ad platform beyond the social network itself and onto the wider Web — in order to compete with Google’s AdSense.

There’s also potential in e-commerce. Although Facebook’s Deals product fell flat, an increasing number of merchants are starting to sell their wares directly on the social networking site. Might Facebook one day provide its own tools for powering such activity? It’s certainly possible.

The one thing that all of these models have in common is that they need a critical mass of users to be successful. Facebook has that, and would never risk losing it by charging people for basic access to the tools that make its multi-billion dollar business work.

By Adam Ostrow