Coffee loyalty cards have always been a pain. Writing from personal experience, inevitably my card gets lost, ripped or disintegrates in the wash before I accumulate the ten or whatever number of stamps required to get my free latte. Some cafes like Te Aro have tried to solve this problem by keeping the cards on file, but even this isn't an ideal solution. There has to be a better way.

blogTO now has an iPad app, as well as a significantly upgraded iPhone app experience. These new apps, approved by Apple yesterday and now available for free in the iTunes app store, are the best way for mobile and tablet users to experience blogTO. In fact, both apps offer a number of useful features not yet available on this web site.

The iPhone and iPad apps share a lot of the same content and functionality but each have been designed to optimize the user experience on each device. The apps are divided into four main modules (News, Best Of, Places and Events) and are built around a new profile system that allows you to create to-do lists, check-in to stores and restaurants, rate local businesses, mark favourites, bookmark articles and events; and share all of this with your friends. Each of these features is explained below in detail using accompanying screenshots from the iPad app.

blogTO is now on Google+. If you're a Google+ user make sure to add us to your Circles to view our latest updates. What can you expect from us? While we'll likely experiment a bit with the platform, our current plan is to use Google+ to provide a behind the scenes look at what we do here. You won't be finding an RSS dump or links to posts we publish on blogTO. Instead, it will be stuff you won't find on our Twitter or Facebook page. Today's sneak peek of our soon-to-be-released iPad app is an example of this.

We hope to see you over there soon.

There's a new taxi/limo option in Toronto today. Winston, a car service modeled loosely on Uber which operates in five US cities, has 20 cars in its fleet for launch with plans to add up to 50 more over the next couple of months. To use the service, all you need to do is download their free app from iTunes and create an account.

I spoke with Co-Founder and CEO Aidan Nulman earlier today about their launch. It's something they've been working on all year as a result of their affiliation with the Next 36 program. While they plan to eventually offer service to select corporate partners, Winston begins its life today as a consumer facing offering with cars able to pick up customers at the airport and between Bathurst, the DVP, Eglinton and the lake.

It was the tech event of the month on Tuesday as the Android community descended on 99 Sudbury to learn, debate and discuss all things Android. Twelve months is a long time in the tech world and this time last year the world's most widely adopted mobile platform was still playing second fiddle versus the more sexy iOS. Not any more. While iOS might still have the savvy marketing of Apple fueling its buzz (and usage), Android powered devices now account for more than half of all smartphone sales south of the border.

If there's proof in Toronto of Android's rise it's that AndroidTO drew 300% more attendees this year compared to the inaugural conference in 2010 (about 620 vs. 225). Of this, about half the tickets sold were to non-developers indicating that entrepreneurs, marketers and other business types are paying closer attention to the platform.

More than six months have passed since the devastating tsunami struck Japan and surprisingly I'm only now spotting signs at the fish counter labeling seafood as "radiation free". Maybe I've just been shopping at fishmongers that don't sell a lot of product from the Pacific or coastal waters around Japan, but I found myself doing a double-take after discovering these Japanese squid chilling on ice at the Galleria Supermarket near Don Mills and York Mills.

Needless to say, I didn't see any shoppers lining up for this import but, who knows, maybe that's because the squid has been previously frozen? Which brings me to the question of the day on this quiet Thanksgiving Monday. Would you buy seafood labeled "radiation free"?