MarcForrest.com

Category: Apple

  • 10 tips & tricks for the AppleTV in South Africa

     

    As I mentioned the other day, I am loving the at the moment. The intergration with all my other iDevices is simply amazing, and everything just works. I thought I would put together a few tips & tricks of what I have learnt over the past couple of weeks with the AppleTV. if you haven’t got one yet, I highly recommedn heading over to the guys, and ordering one.

    • Setup Home Sharing in iTunes, which will allow your AppleTV to browse your iTunes library on your PC/Mac. You need to enable this on the AppleTV as well by going to Settings -> Computers -> Home Sharing & entering your Home Sharing username & password (iTunes account)
    • Even though the AppleTV doesn’t play DVD’s, I have backed up a lot of mine (especially the kids) and store them on my iMac. I used Handbrake, which allows you to “rip” your DVD’s into a M4V format, which you can then import into iTunes, and the Apple TV sees using Home Sharing. Handbrake offers a preset specifically for AppleTV2
    • Turn AirPlay ON, on the AppleTV by going to Settings -> Airplay & On. This means that if you have an iPad, iPhone or iPod touch, and are listening to music or watching a video on the iDevice, you can automatically start streaming it to your Apple TV, by tapping the Airplay icon. This works awesome with Youtube Videos as well. You can also view your photos on your iDevice, by clicking the AirPlay button.
    • Although I am not a big fan of Jailbreaking, I would recommend Jailbreaking the AppleTV & install Plex. Basically Plex allows you to watch any existing AVI’s or MKV files (over WiFi) you have on a PC/Mac that is running the Plex Server software. The really cool thing about Plex is it goes and gets all the movie or TV show information, and displays it on-screen. To Jailbreak the AppleTV, I recommend using Seas0nPass, and following the steps makes this a really simple process. Once that is done, follow these steps on the Plex Wiki, to get Plex installed. You need a little bit of tech savvy to do this, but it is quite simple once you get the hang of it.
    • Movie Rentals & TV Show Rentals are awesome. 2 things you need to ensure though; Make sure you have credit on your US iTunes account by topping up with iTunes vouchers & ensure you have a decent ADSL line. I would highly recommend a 4MB ADSL line, as your movies start streaming almost immediately once you have rented them. The cost of renting a movie is well priced in comparison to DVD rentals.
    • Hidden away at the bottom of the Internet menu on the AppleTV is a section called “Radio” which gives you access to thousands & thousands of online streaming stations. This is a great feature if you want to play background music, or are interested in a specific topic
    • Also hidden in the Internet menu, is “Podcasts” which allow you to stream the latest episode of your favorite video or Audio podcasts. An awesome little gem !
    • If you really feeling at a loss for content, you can sign up for a Netflix account. Just follow these steps on Jason’s blog for a How-To on how to get Netflix setup in South Africa
    • Download the awesome Apple Remote iPhone & iPad app, which allows you to connect & control the AppleTV. Perfect for when the small included remote goes astray !
    • Download AirFlick. A must have free Mac app, which allows you to play & Airplay ANY content from your Mac to your AppleTV

    If you have any cool AppleTV tips & tricks, please leave a comment below.

  • Enter the iPhoneography Exhibition – 1 Sept, iStore, Sandton

    I am busy putting the final touches to getting the logistics in order for the 1st ever South African iPhoneography Exhibition, which is taking place on the 1st of September at the iStore in Sandton Drive. I met with the team from Core earlier this week, and it really is shaping up to be an exciting evening.

    Anyone can enter the exhibition, and after a quick selection process to ensure we give everyone a fair chance, we will then get in touch with you, and organise to collect your photography from you ready to exhibit on the night. You will be responsible for the printing & framing, but we will collect & return & display the photography for you on the night. You will also have an opportunity to sell your photography should you wish to do so.

    We will also be giving away an iPad2 (16GB WiFi) on the evening with a a lucky draw to everyone who has entered into the exhibition. So, if you enter, and are successfully exhibited  on the night,  you stand a chance to win an iPad2 !!

    Below are some of the exhibition guidelines for the evening. You can get more info & enter on the iPhoneography subsite here – http://marcforrest.com/iPhoneography/

    • All works must be the original uncopied work of the artist; any exhibitor has the sole responsibility for ensuring that their artwork does not infringe another creator’s copyright.
    • All images need to be taken & edited on an iDevice. Entries that have been taken on a DSLR & edited on an iDevice/Computer will not be considered for entry
    • There is no entry fee for the artist to submit their works, but the artist will be responsible for all print, mounting & mounting costs.
    • The artwork remains the property of the entrant (artist) and will be returned to the entrant on completion on the exhibition.
    • If you wish to enter your work into the iPhoneogrpahy exhibition, you need to use the entry form page to submit your details & images for the judges perusal.
    • Entries need to be submitted by Friday 5 August 2011 after which A panel of judges will judge the entries & select a specified number of images for the exhibition.
    • If your entry is successfully chosen for the exhibition you will be notified by the organisers, and further correspondence regarding the collection of the artwork will be sent.
    • Successful entrants will be required to submit Artworks (ready for hanging)  to the Sandton iStore by Thursday 25 August. Courier costs will be paid for by the organisers for both collection & delivery after the exhibition. If you live in Johannesburg, you can deliver your entry to the iStore directly
    • iPhoneography works must be suitably framed ready for hanging by the curator. This cost is for the exhibitor’s account, and will remain the full property of the exhibitor should the artwork not be sold during the exhibition
    • Artists should make their own arrangements for insuring their work in transit, in storage and while on display. While due care is taken, the organisers accept no responsibility for loss or damage of any exhibit.
    • Artists will need to specify: Full Name, Exhibit Title, App used to take/edit the image, and price (should you wish to sell) of each successful entry
    • If artists wish to sell their artwork, they can specify a reasonable price to the artwork. Individual works sold through the iPhoneography Exhibition and Sale will attract 20% commission payable to the organisers
    • The winner of an iPad2 (16GB WiFi) will be determined by a lucky draw of all sucessful exhibitors. The draw will take place on the evening of the exhibition, and the winner does not need to be present on the evening.
    • The artworks will remain on display at the iStore for a month after the exhibition has taken place, and will returned to the artwork to the artist, via courier, if it has not been sold.

    Obviously because of it’s popularity, we will be getting a couple of Instagram photos, so we will be limiting the instagram photos. Here is a really cool phtoshop action which you can use to get your instagram photos ready for printing.

    We would really like some more of the Hi-Res images, as this gives people a much better idea of how powerful iPhoneography really is.

    If you have any questions, please please feel free to drop me an email. I am really looking forward to this, and the evening can only be a success with all the great iPhoneography we have seen in South Africa.

  • Apple TV in South Africa

    A couple of weeks ago I picked up my new from a mate of mine who had managed to organize a few through a friend in the states. I had always wanted one, but was never at the top of my priority list, well, that was until I actually started using it. WOW !!!

    The integration between the iPhone, iPad & the Apple TV is seamless and amazing. Using AirPlay you can watch almost any video/picture/song that you are currently seeing on the iDevice and watch it on the TV. So for example, using the AirVideo (iTunes link $2.99) app on my iPad, I can start watching the video on the Apple TV instantly, with just the tap of a button.

    The Apple TV is a simple plug & play device which starts working as soon as you plug in the HDMI cable into your TV. If you have setup Home Sharing on your iTunes you can access your iTunes music & Video library wirelessly through the Apple TV. You can also opt to Jailbreak it, and install XBMC on it, which allows you to stream AVI’s from a shared folder on your wireless network. I did this when I got it, and while it is nice,honestly it’s not the be all & end all, as it is quite a mission to setup. I prefer to rather use AirPlay and stream an AVI I am already watching in AirVideo.

    The best thing I have found so far is the fact that you can rent movies straight away from the iTunes store and they will start playing almost immediately. This means you can watch some of the latest US releases (provided you have a US iTunes account) at the cost of almost renting a DVD (yes, you also need to account for bandwidth, but if you have an uncapped account, this is negligible) Over the weekend I rented a movie for the kids, and within a few minutes it was streaming to my TV. Awesome !! The thing to remember is that the Apple TV relies heavily on wireless streaming, so you need to have a wireless setup at home as well as a decent ADSL line (1mb +)

    Unfortunately the Apple TV is not on sale in South Africa “officially” but you can get it from a couple of places including the Guys at ($199 $159) or Have2Have

    If you have an iDevice and enjoy watching movies or have an awesome home theater setup, I highly recommend getting one of these devices.

    Also, check out Jason Bagley’s latest post about his take on the Apple TV – http://www.jasonbagley.com/2011/06/27/apple-tv-in-south-africa/

  • How to get Angry Birds in South Africa

    One of the most common questions I get asked when people see my iPhone is “Do you have Angry Birds on your iPhone ?” No lies.

    The person asking me the question more than likely will have an iPhone and they have heard about Angry Birds, but can’t find it on the South African iTunes store. Or any of the games for that matter.

    Here are a couple steps on how to get Angry Birds on your iPhone or iPad in South Africa

    The game is awesome and will keep you entertained for hours & hours. A must have if you have an iPhone or iPad

  • Business Day iPad app

    Business Day iPad app

    The guys from the Business Day newspaper released their free iPad app (iTunes Link) earlier today with an “unofficial” announcement by the Editor Peter Bruce on Twitter earlier today.

    [blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/#!/Bruceps/status/83446850551685120″]

     

    I quickly headed over to iTunes to download it & give it a bash and am very pleasantly surprised. After the team from the Daily Maverick announced last week that they would soon be launching a subscription based “app”, called iMaverick in August,  the Business day responded by saying they would also be launching an iPad app (soon), and they have really upped the game with this FREE app. You get full replicated content from the site & print publications with options to share, comment and read the latest stories on the fly.The navigation of the stores is simple, with stores being broken up into their relevant categories. My only bug bear is that it shows an advert everytime you exit and re-open the app.

    From the app store:

    BusinessDay is South Africa’s most influential and respected business news and analysis source, offering incisive coverage of business, politics, labour and other current affairs, written by the country’s award winning journalists.
    Leading the only business daily newspaper in South Africa for over 25 years, BusinessDay has been optimized for the iPad.

    If you own an iPad I highly suggest you get this app. By far one of THE best dailys I have seen on the iPad. Looks like South Africa is finally starting to understand the “Apple iPad Revolution” ;)

    Well done Business Day team !