The “type anywhere” keyboard of the future, Waterloo’s startup Kik

Every Monday, CommerceLab brings you a roundup of all the gamification, user experience and interactive display news that’s fit to print. (Or the stuff we liked best, anyway.)

Possibly the most talked about Canadian UX news this week was Waterloo’s Kik app update. The new functionality pulls web browsing into its existing chat and cards app, allowing users to browse and share websites in-app. “This is the first smartphone messenger with a built-in browser,” Kik’s founder, Ted Livingston, told Mobile Syrup. It’s a head start for Canada in an increasingly heated race for mobile chat and web supremacy.

Whirlscape, makers of the stripped-down yet cleverly designed single-line Minuum keyboard (and the Indiegogo campaign that went with it), received backing from Y Combinator and BDC Capital. The team of ten will participate in the YC Incubator program. Minuum is the first step toward a “type anywhere” future—and could be the answer to usability for wearable devices.

If you’re wondering how many startups there are in the Waterloo area, the Startup Community documentary is apparently in its final editing stages and due out any week now. Check out the latest teaser video from Taylor Jackson,which includes an interview from Thalmic Labs, the makers of Myo, the gesture control armband.

It was a big week for gamification studies. First, Business Insider reported on how “Gamification will become a huge industry in 2014,” and PHD Canada released a book on how to implement Gamification in the workplace, entitled “Game Change” (not to be confused with the book about the 2008 US election). The book is authored by Jane McGonigcal, a game designer, and Mark Holden, PHD’s director of strategy and planning.

Finally, the Ontario Ministry of Energy’s Green Button competition has entered the judging stage. All project pitches are now online for your viewing pleasure. The competitors were tasked with using the Ministry’s API to produce apps that help customers better understand and use smart meters. You can check out the submissions and vote on them here. The best apps will receive $50,000 to support development and marketing costs—so get out there and vote for your favourite!