MarcForrest.com

Month: August 2010

  • iPhone Developer position Johannesburg

    I got a mail from a guy up in Jozi looking for an iPhone app developer. If you are looking for an iPhone developer position or know of someone who is, check out the specs below, and drop me an email and I will put you in touch with the relevant people.

    The position is a permanent position and is based in the Randburg area. Salary is highly negotiable.

    Role

    • Architect and build applications on the Apple iPhone SDK.
    • Submit applications to the Apple App Store.

    Skills

    The following capabilities are critical to the position:

    • ObjectiveC, Cocoa Touch, Core Data, File I/O, XCode, SQLlite, HTML and CSS, JavaScript, AJAX and JSON.
    • Successfully submitted at least 1 application to the Apple iPhone App Store.
    • Navigation-based and Tab-bar application development.
    • OpenGL application development an advantage.
    • Application architecture.
    • Analytical thinking.
    • User experience/information architecture.
    • Quality oriented.
    • Flexibility (including time flexibility).
    • Service oriented.
    • Performance under pressure.

  • How to use QR Codes effectivley

    Well we know that I am a fan of QR codes after the whole Photocode debacle (which I haven’t seen too much about). The opportunity that QR codes offer is way beyond what most other 2D barcodes can offer.

    I thought I would put a few thoughts down on how to ensure that when using a QR Code, be it in a campaign or personal use, making sure you get the full potential out of them.

    • Use a decent QR Code generator
      I use Zing which is built on the open source Google chart API. It is fast, and offers a variety of options. Another site I came across this morning is http://www.qrstuff.com/, which also seems pretty cool. You can also use http://imagecharteditor.appspot.com/ to create QR Codes. Quickmark also has a pretty cool SDK which allows you to create your own QR codes in your applications.
    • Ensure your landing page is Mobile compatible.
      This is huge. You cannot direct people to a URL using a non-mobile webpage and expect them to browse that using their phone. QR Codes are designed to open on a mobile phone screen, so make sure your site is mobile compatible. If you have a WordPress site, install the mobilepress or WPTouch plugins which will automagically transform your normal site into a WordPress site. If you don’t use WordPress….um…..
    • Use short URL’s
      I have written about this before, and when it comes to QR Codes, the shorter the better. Having a shorter URL ensures that your image size is smaller. Use a URL shortener like Bit.ly to make your URL’s smaller. Bit.ly also offers basic tracking stats, so you will be able to see how many times your URL has been opened.
    • Use Capital letters
      This one may sound a bit silly, but a QR Code with a url of http://bit.ly/aaaa will be bigger (image size) than a QR Code with the URL of http://bit.ly/AAAA.
    • Make your content relevant & valuble.
      Don’t expect people to snap a QR Code displayed in a magazine about gadgets, and then it takes them to a article about fish. Test your code before your publish it. It could lead to a potentially embarrassing situation :)  Rather link to a webpage about your product or campaign, and then on the page have a video, as opposed to linking straight through to a video.
    • Tell people what QR Codes are
      Because QR codes are a relitvley new technology (outside of Japan), you need to educate your users on what they are all about. Include a link on your site, or even below the image about what QR Codes are all about and where to download a QR Code reader from. It will still be a while till people know what QR codes are all about and how to use them.
    • Download a quality QR Code reader.
      I use Quickmark on the iPhone which seems to work the best and fastest. They also have apps for Nokia & Android. For Blackberry you can use BeeTagg
    • Get users to “Like” your Facebook page using QR Codes.
      This isn’t a must do, but more of a useful tip. Create a QR Code that will give people a like button to like your site or URL. You can create a URL that will point straight to the Facebook Like link (http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?href=http://marcforrest.com) or read more about it on this site

    There are loads of uses for QR Codes. I can think of a few off the top of my head. Code in a magazine pointing to more info about a specific gadget and video of how it works. Or, a QR Code in a menu in a restaurant that links to a webcam in the kitchen or video of how the food is made. What about a QR Code on the flyer of an event or band that gives your more info about them or the full line up of a festival, and offer calendar events & a free song of the band which you can download. The possibilities are endless. If you wanna chat more about QR Codes, drop me a line on my contact page, and I would love to chat more about it.

    Have you got any QR Code tips & tricks to get the most of these awesome codes ? Share them in the comments below.

  • Earth Tremor Johannesburg 26 August 2010

    Last night at around 21:30 I was going through my tweets when I saw a whole whack of people in Joburg that were saying there had been an earth tremor around Jozi. By the sounds of things it was pretty widespread with people in Fourways to the east saying the felt it.
    I did some research this morning and came across the Geoscience.org.za website, who reported it to be a 2.8 magnitude tremor on the Richter scale.

    Thu, 26 August 2010 at 21:04:55:54 SAST
    Date and Time: Thursday, 26 August 2010 at 21:04:55:54 SAST
    Magnitude: 2.8 (Local Richter)
    Depth: 2.0 km (Fixed)
    Location: -26.261° South, 27.954° East
    Region: Central Rand gold mines, Gauteng Province
    Location quality: Error estimate: Longitude ± 5.0 km, Latitude ± 4.2 km, Depth fixed by location programme
    Source: Seismology Unit of the Council for Geoscience

    For more info check out the full analysis on the Geosience site

  • Who will win the iPhone 4 race in South Africa ?

    Techcentral reported earlier today that MTN would also be offering the iPhone 4 on contracts, when it (finally) launches in South Africa towards the end of September. We all know the iPhone 4 is going to be big in South Africa, I have already had over 3500 views on my iPhone 4 in South Africa post I did a while back. But I still have a pertinent question, which is really bothering me about the iPhone in South Africa.

    Which operator, be it MTN, Vodacom or Cell C, will be able to provide the best support for the phone ?

    Support, not just being hardware support, but also software and iPhone support. My biggest “gripe” with the iPhone in South Africa, is that people are spending up to 10K on a phone,  without knowing their full capabilities.
    The fact that it is so much more than just a phone, and you can install applications and use it for push email, amongst a whole whack of other things, makes me believe that the network operators have to play some part in promoting the phone, instead of just “selling it”.

    Vodacom have been selling the iPhone for just short on 2 years, and have already sold around 110k iPhones in South Africa. They have the upper hand I think, with the knowledge and expertise gained, as well as offering services such as Visual Voicemail & dedicated iPhone packages. But yet daily, I get emails from people who need assistance with their iPhones, that’s why I setup SA iPhone Help to try and help people with posing questions about the iPhone.

    At the end of the day, for me, it isn’t about the price, or about the best data bundle, which ever cellular network wants to be want to be the market leaders in the iPhone 4 race, they are going to have offer better support & education on the iPhone which will educate the users about the phone and it’s capabilities.

    Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below :)

  • How to navigate a double lane traffic circle

    At least once a day, I see a car almost getting taken out at a traffic circle. People STILL don’t know how to use them, even though they are so simple.This one is from the Joblog boys. Posted back in ’05, and still so very relevant every single day (Thanks Guys)

    The Arrive Alive site also has a really good illustration and animation showing you how to navigate a circle

    circlesafety.jpg

    The diagram above illustrates your everyday traffic circle, or roundabout as some may know it.

    Contrary to popular belief, you may not drive wherever the hell you like on whatever side of the road you have chosen i.e. left or right. This diagram shows clearly which direction you may go, depending on which side of the road you are driving.

    1. The yellow arrow indicators show you that there are only TWO (2) possible directions to take when on the left hand side of the road, or, outside lane.

    2. The blue arrow indicators show that there are also TWO (2) possible directions to take when on the right hand side of the road, or, inside lane.

    3. The red indicator arrows show when some idiot decides to take the road-law into his own hands, ending up in an accident, often resulting in an angry argument and possibly a restraining order for use of bad language and throwing punches.

    You may be wondering where the blue indicator arrows go to from there? Well, my dears, the rules start all over again. They may go straight, or right again. It’s that simple.