MarcForrest.com

Month: September 2010

  • Gadgets & Gizmos – The Ballito Sept

    My 2nd Gadgets & Gizmos column has just been published in The Ballito magazine. The mag hit the streets of Durbs & Ballito today and covers a whole variety of stuff & events on the KZN North Coast.

    This edition I covered the awesome GirlGuides.co.za site, as well as the Tech4Africa conference I attended last month. I also take a look at the new Samsung Wave, and the must have gadget for the boys for Christmas this year, a gyrocopter.

    You can download a PDF copy of the article here. Would also love to hear your feedback, and see if there is anything you think I should cover.

  • Introducing the 2oceansVibe iPhone app

    After the huge success of the SA Lotto iPhone app, we started getting a couple of requests from people who wanted their own iPhone apps. So, Juliaan, the Developer dude, and I decided to start an iOS development company called appink. appink will be offering full iOS development for both the iPhone & iPad, as well as working alongside other mobile developers around SA to work on apps for other platforms.

    We have already started working on a couple of projects, and a couple of weeks ago were approached by Seth & the guys from 2oceansVibe radio to develop the 2oceansVibe iPhone app (iTunes link) for the online radio station. The app is still pretty simple in terms on functionality but it does allow you to listen to the awesome 2oceansVibe radio stream on your iPhone. The app supports background audio, which means you can use your phone & other apps while the stream is running in the background. There were still be loads more development around this app with some exciting things to come in the future. Check out the post on 2oceansVibe.com about the app

    2oceansVibe (iTunes link)
    Welcome to the 2oceansvibe Media app!
    Please feel free to download and tune in to the irreverent yet relevant sounds of 2oceansvibe Radio – South Africa’s first mainstream online radio station – broadcasting live from our studios in the Cape quarter Lifestyle Village, Cape Town!
    Look out for updates as we turn this app into something even more life changing than it already is!
    We would love to hear your feedback on the app, but like I say, standby for some really cool features coming soon.
    Also, if you have any iPhone app dev requirements give us a shout on [email protected] and will gladly assist.

  • MTN & Vodacom iPhone carrier settings

    Last week, before the iPhone officially launched in SA, MTN & Vodacom released their carrier updates for the iPhone. A carrier update is the file that is used to populate all the network settings on the iPhone, and is pushed out either via iTunes or over the air to your handset.I dug a bit deeper into the actual files that are used to populate these settings to see what they entailed.

    Because this was the first time MTN has offered the iPhone, it was basically a new carrier file. Vodacom didn’t change too much from their previous files.most notably in the MTN file was the exclusion to not allow you to edit carrier settings. They also excluded Visual Voicemail, as they do not offer this service yet.

    There also seems to be some issues with MTN MMS on the iPhone, according to a couple of queries I have received. The only thing I can think of would that the APN is not active for your specific contract, as it may be specific to the iPhone. Best bet would be to call MTN ?

    Below are 2 screen shots of the settings in each file. You will need to click to enlarge the image, as they are pretty big.

    MTN Carrier Settings ( Click to enlarge)
    Vodacom Carrier Settings (Click to enlarge)

  • 3 MUST have apps for the iPhone 4

    Well, it’s been almost a week with the new baby, and things are going swimmingly. I have a full review planned for later in the week, with all the pros & cons(yip, there are 1 or 2) about the iPhone 4.

    But, I just wanted to do a quick post about 3 free apps you HAVE to download for your new iPhone4. These 3 apps will show off 3 of the cool new features that have been included in the new version of the phone.

    First off, you may not know this, but the iPhone 4 now has a built in Gyroscope. Although this isn’t used extensivley yet in many apps, mark my words, that soon it will be huge. Already there is an app called “You Gotta See this ($1.99)“, which takes a pano styled photo using the gyroscrope. But, if you want to see how the gyroscrope works, download the app simply called, Gyroscrope. The app gives you a visual idea of it rolls around. Very cool to see.

    Also new to the iPhone 4 is the built in LED flash used for the camera. There are a couple of apps on the app store which allow you to use the LED as a flashlight. The best one (and free) that I have come across is called LED light for iPhone 4. The app is pretty simple with an on-off switch and a strobe function. Simple and effect, and does the job when you need a light.

    To me, the best thing about the iPhone4 has to be the retina screen display. I have never seen a device that has such clarity in the screen. It is amazing. Really. To demonstrate how cool this screen is, I have been recommending an app called “Epic Citadel (Free)“. You may recall seeing it at a keynote with Steve Jobs earlier this year. The app isn’t a game, but more a demo of the Unreal gaming engine used across many platforms. This app really shows how awesome the screen is. Running the same app on the 3Gs & the 4, there is no comparison. trust me. Just try it. The app is a rather hefty download at 82.2 MB, but it is well well worth it when showing off the new baby. Be sure to look up at the sky in the app

    Are there any other must-have apps which you could recommend for the new iPhone 4 ? Leave a comment below ;)

  • iPhone 4 Prices in South Africa

    Last night I was fortunate to attend both the launch parties for the iPhone4 in South Africa. First I went to the MTN Launch party at Gallagher estates in Midrand. The vibe there was awesome. They had huge projected screens all around the place, and at 9PM 4 huge platforms with iPhone 4 demo models dropped from the ceiling. They had a couple of really cool overseas dj’s playing, and around 200 people.

    At around 11 I left to go to the Vodacom party which was being held at Vodaworld. They had DJ Fresh & Gareth Cliff on the “decks” and around 2000 people at the party. I didn’t get to experience the complete vibe of the crowd, as I was catching up with a couple of good people from the tweetosphere. The official launch of the iPhone 4 for Vodacom was at 12, which was when the opened the doors to some of the cell shops in Vodaworld, where people could buy their new iPhone 4’s. Let me tell you that there were hundreds of people in the shops, and more specifically in the iStore where I popped in quick to buy a cover for my new iPhone 4

    The most asked question I got asked during the evening was about pricing for the iPhone 4. There has been a couple of price lists flying around the net, but there doesn’t seem to be a “cash” price for the new iPhone. It would seem that both MTN & Vodacom are only offering the iPhone 4 on contract only for the moment. I suppose this makes a bit more sense as it keeps customers for 2 years. I also believe that there is very limited stock at the moment, with more arriving in mid October.

    I have come across 2 really good iPhone 4 deals at the moment. The first is from Vodacom who are offering an iPhone4 16GB  on a Talk 500 package for FREE. The package is R925 a month and includes 500 free minutes & 250MB of data.

    UPDATE (23/9/10): From Aki Anastasiou: Vodacom have just announced a new deal. Also, Pieter Uys (Vodacom CEO), also confirmed that they have received new stock

    Vodacom just announced 2 new options for iPhone 4. 16GB, 110 MB data R379 on top up 275s x 24 months. 32GB version R429 pm

    The deal from MTN seems  a little sweeter. They are offering a 16GB iPhone 4 for FREE on an MTN AnyTime 200 topup , with R200 airtime, with a 150MB data bundle for only R379 a month or a 300MB internet bundle for R429. Sounds like a bargain.

    Judging by the reaction of most of the people I spoke to last night, the iPhone 4 is going to be a HIT in SA, and I can’t wait to see everyone holding one in their hands soon :)