MarcForrest.com

Category: Apple

  • Introducing the new & awesome Private Property iPhone app

     

    As you may recall from my post from a few weeks ago, I mentioned that I would be starting as the Mobile Product Manager at the Private Property Group down here in Durbs. And WOW ! What an awesome 4 weeks I have had so far, that have flown by in an exciting blur. We have some really exciting things lined up in the mobile space, and given that Mobile & Property go hand in hand, you can only imagine :)

    Our first big project, the update to the previous , went live this morning, and I am really excited about it. We have re-written the app from scratch and there are some really exciting things down the line. We have had some beta testing on the app over the last few weeks and the comments we have received, indicated that this app is a hit.

    Here is what is new in this version:

    • A complete re-write of the Private Property iPhone app 
    • Regional property search – Search for property in a specific areas 
    • Favourites – Keep a list & manage your favourite properties 
    • Radius search – Show the closest properties around you in a 10km radius 
    • Bug fixes 

    App Store description:

    South Africa’s favourite property website now on your iPhone. 

    Find thousands of properties for sale and to rent from estate agents as well as private sellers and landlords nationwide, in our newly redesigned iPhone app, that focuses on ease of use while giving you a great property search experience. 

    Key Features: 
    • Rich, detailed and up-to-date listings 
    • Comprehensive photo galleries – up to 12 quality photos on all sale listings 
    • Videos – walk through the property to get a real feel (*) 
    • Addresses & Maps – know exactly where the property is (*) 
    • Location-Based Search – find properties around you (*) 
    • Save your search criteria for easy access 
    • Contact or call the seller or agent from within the listing 
    • Save contact to Address Book 
    • Manage your favourite properties 
    • Retina Display Support 
    (*) At the discretion of the advertiser, not available on all listings 

    Coming soon: 
    • Augmented property search – View properties for sale & rent around you 
    • Property Values Index – discover the value of any property around you by simply holding up your phone and moving it around 
    • Syncing favourites & account details between your iPhone & your Private Property account 

    The Private Property iPhone app only currently allows searches on South African properties. We will be releasing apps for other countries in the near future. 

    An internet connection is required to use the app and return results 
    Requires iOS 4.0+

    The from the app store, and as I said earlier, there are some really cool enhancements coming in the near future. Standby :) If you have any suggestions on the app, or would like to see something, please feel free to give me a shout.

  • iPhoneography Exhibition update

    The entries for the first ever South African iPhoneography exhibition closed on Friday evening, and WOW ! What a response. There were over 75 entries that came through and some of the iPhoneography was beyond amazing.

    I spent the better part of the weekend goign through the entries, and will be mailing the sucessful entrants in the next day or so. The whole idea behind this exhibtion is to try and showcase as many different styles as possible, and I think we have accomplished that.

    I also came across 2 really cool printing options to print out your images. The l today has 55% off canvases and the prices are pretty good as well.

    The other option is a place I found in Ballito, called PrintWild who do some really good Canvas work and offer free delivery over R300. I wrote about them the other day, and have been suitably impressed !

    So, standby, and you should have a mail soon ;)  If you have any questions, please shout

  • Piolo. The little stand for iPhone 4

    A few weeks ago I came across a cool little accessory for the iPhone called the Piolo. Esentailly it is a little stand for your iPhone which make it easier to stand it up or on it’s side. This is perfect for if you are using your iPhone for a recipe or Facetime or something along that lines where you need to constantly be holding your iPhone.

    The price of the Piolo is £4.00 (and 80p for postage) which works out to about R50, which isn’t to bad at all. I have been using mine on my desk so I can see whats happening on it most of the time. The Piolo comes in a varierty of 5 different colours. If you keen on getting yourself one, I recommend heading over to their site – http://thepiolo.com/ and picking up one. Highly recommended :)

  • Printwild – Order your Canvas Printing online

     

    I came across quite a cool service the other day who are also based in Ballito, where I live. The service, called PrintWild,  is an online service that allows you to order a whole wide variety of photographic canvases & photographic prints.
    The process is pretty simple, you chose your image, upload it, chose your canvas size & they deliver it to you anywhere in South Africa for free (for orders over R300). Easy !!. They also do standard glossy prints which start at R23 for an A4 print. The stretched canvas prints start at R323 for an A4. Check out their full price list here.

    Here is more info on the service from their site:

    PrintWild takes your favourite image and turns it into a wide format canvas, acrylic or glossy print. PrintWild uses only the highest quality machine, ink and paper to produce exceptional canvas prints, acrylic prints and glossy prints in full colour, sepia or black & white.
    The output quality is second to none and the canvas print or photo print is guaranteed not to fade in 75 years. We will arrange delivery of your canvas print or glossy print to anywhere in South Africa free of charge for orders over R300.

    I am busy putting together a collage of some of my instagram pics (thanks to Dean for the idea) and want to have it printed on an A2 stretched canvas. As soon as I have it done, I will post a pic up here of what it looks like. Can’t wait to see the final results. If you keen on seeing some of the services that PrintWild offer, check out their site @ www.printwild.co.za

     

  • FNB launches iPhone & Android app

    It’s no secret that I am a huge huge fan of FNB. They have constantly been at the forefront of innovation in South Africa, and even brought PayPal to South Africa last year.

    This morning they launched, what I reckon is HUGE for smartphones in South Africa, the first dedicated iPhone & Android apps. They are the first bank in South Africa to offer such a value-add, for free.

    I downloaded the iPhone app this morning and am well impressed. Security is tight, and you need to confirm your device on the FNB online banking portal before you can access your accounts. Once you have authenticated your device, you need to enter your password everytime you want to use the app. Another thing I found, which makes perfect sense, is that you can’t add new payment recipients, so if anyone steals your phone or forces you, you *can’t* add a new reciepient

    From the app store description:

    FNB is proud to bring you FNB App, South Africa’s first Smartphone and Tablet Banking Application.

    The FNB App is simple to use and provides a convenient, easy and secure way to do your banking anytime and anywhere.

    With the FNB App you can:

    – Access your banking accounts (view account balances; detailed transaction history)
    – Make payments to third parties
    – Transfer funds between your accounts
    – Other value added services, such as:
    – Use Location Based Services to find FNB ATMs or Branches
    – Make and receive calls (powered by FNB Connect), including FREE calls to FNB Call Centre’s
    – View Forex Rates

    Anyone can download the FNB App, but you need to be a FNB customer registered for FNB Online Banking to use the transactional services.

    If you are not registered for FNB Online Banking, visit www.fnb.co.za or call us at 087 575 0362

    You can download the iPhone app here & the Android app here. Do it !