iQmetrix sponsoring HackDays in Vancouver and Regina

Hacking sounds dangerous, or bad, doesn't it? Well, amongst developers, it's a good thing. It means experimenting with different pieces of code and programs to combine them together into something bigger than the sum of its parts.

iQmetrix is pleased to support great developers across Canada by sponsoring the HackVAN event in Vancouver (March 24), and the first HackDays event in Regina, HackREGINA (March 17). Thank you to TinEye, Freshbooks, and Yellow Pages for being the first to step up and also support these great events. We'll have more great sponsors to announce soon -- please get in touch if you're interested in being involved.

• HackREGINA takes place March 17th in Regina. Register as a developer or sponsor on Eventbrite »
• HackVAN takes place March 24th in Vancouver. Register as a developer or sponsor on Eventbrite »

Some of our developers participated in the HackVan event last August, and even came in 3rd Place. In just a day, three developers combined the Yellow Pages API, Google Maps, and other web sites in order to build Pitstops. Pitstops tells you where to stop for lunch, gas, and overnight stays when you're driving, by looking up local businesses in the Yellow Pages. The service is in beta, but you can try it at http://rtigger.com/pitstops. Chad did a write-up of the whole experience, and here is what HackDays has to say on the about page:

HackDays bring together the brightest geeks in technology across Canada. We work together in a day, in a space (preferably a co-working space) to hack and create awesome applications using local APIs. We select local APIs, make them available to you with expert guidance from the API providers and an environment where you are going to be excited about hacking and creating! The hack day is also a competition: as a developer you will compete for great prizes and glory! And this is all done in a day!

After we celebrated the succesful launch of our new XQ Interactive Retail system, we knew the next task was to make the same platform that powers our interactive screens available to other people, so they could build on top of it.

We reached out to Leila Boujnane, founding organizer of HackDays, and proposed that we help organize and sponsor two HackDays events. We love working with and supporting our local communities, so it was a natural fit.

With our XQ Interactive Retail APIs, developers will have access to screen, playlist, and product management features, and can build interesting apps for physical retail, mobile, and web-based usage. We'll be sharing more details about the XQ API as we get closer to the event. For developers, stay tuned to the iQmetrix account on Github.

P.S. -- Think that XQ Interactive Retail sounds exciting? We're looking to hire an awesome senior web/front-end engineer to join the XQ team.