MarcForrest.com

Category: Apple

Get ShowMax for only R99 a month!

If you haven’t already heard about the awesomeness that is ShowMax, where have you been??? ShowMax is a subscription video on demand service (SVOD), which launched in August 2015 and is owned by Naspers. The service offers viewers the opportunity to stream over 12 000 hours of content, ranging from the best movies and series, talk shows, documentaries and local programming. With over 20,000 episodes and movies to choose from, it’s a no brainer at R99 a month. They also recently added ALL 5 seasons of the amazing Breaking Bad series

A few weeks ago I got given a voucher for ShowMax at a conference I was at. I went home and found that they had an app available on my LG Smart TV!! So I downloaded that and got all setup and within minutes I was watching some really awesome shows. The kids love it because there are loads for them to choose from as well. And, the word on the street is that they are also working on an app for the New Apple TV, which will be perfect to watch all the content on!

If you haven’t already checked out Showmax you can sign up for a 7-day free trial right here. If you need more info about the service check out the FAQ section on their site, which provides all the answers!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFgVrCtCJNg

November 25, 2015
Review: Unotelly iOS App

If you saw my previous post on How to get Netflix in South Africa, you would have seen I recommended an awesome little service called , which allows you use their DNS to view US based content on Netflix.

The one downfall with is that every time your IP address changes (router restarts or ISP gives you a new IP) you have to login to to update the IP. This can be rather annoying and frustrating when trying to watch something and realise you need to update your IP on Unotelly.

So enter, the Unotelly iPhone app. Once you have logged into the app, you can simply click a button which allows you to update your IP automatically. So much simpler!!
You can also change the settings on various channels that offers.

It’s a very simple app, but helps with one of the more annoying issues.

November 16, 2015
How to get Netflix on the Apple TV in South Africa
A few weeks ago the new Apple TV was announced and was recently launched in the US, and should be in SA soon. One of the cool features of the new Apple TV is that it integrates Siri into the device, as well as allowing you to watch & search for movies across a number of platforms including Netflix & Hulu as well as access to a whole host of other services.

Some of my favorite channels include HBO Go, WSJ & Red Bull TV (US). In fact check out the FULL list of channels you can get once you have signed up with . The best thing (for me) about the new Apple TV is that there are apps available for the device, which means a number of these TV channels will have their own apps on the Apple TV soon!

While Netflix hasn’t launched in SA (yet) it is still possible to get Netflix on the Apple TV quite simply. You still need to pay for it but at $8.99 a month it’s a bargain for the amount of content you can get!
There is a bit of a workaround to get it working in SA, but follow these simple steps and you should be up and running in no time :)
1. First you’ll need to sign up for a service called . UnoTelly allows you to set up your devices to make it look like you in a specific country. In this instance you need to be able to look like you in America so you can sign up for Netflix.First you need to go to . You can sign up for an , after which the service will cost you $4.95 per month using Paypal or your Credit/Cheque card.
2. Once you have setup you will need to make a few changes to your Apple TV. This means changing your DNS, which is not as scary as it sounds. To do this follow the below steps
  1. On your Apple TV go to Settings -> General -> Network
  2. Select your current wifi/wired connection that you are connected to
  3. Go to “Configure DNS” and select Manual
  4. Change your DNS address to 197.189.212.164 or one from UnoTelly Global Servers list based on your location
  5. You can go back to your home screen from here
3. You now need to ensure Netflix is enabled on the Apple TV. There are 2 ways of doing this.
  Firstly, if you have a US iTunes account and have logged into your Apple TV with it, you should see the Netflix app on the home screen.
  If you don’t see it or don’t have a US iTunes Account, you can do the following:
  Go to Settings -> iTunes Store -> Location and change your location to “United States”
4. Once you have Netflix Icon on the screen, you can go into it. You are also able to able to sign up for Netflix on a computer or iPad, but you will need to change your DNS using . You can follow the instructions for to change your DNS for your Operating System if you want to login from your PC or sign up using your PC.
  Once you have gone into Netflix you can select your subscription. I would recommend going for the 2 screen option ($8.99 a month)
  If you do sign up on your PC you can select to pay via credit/cheque card, otherwise it will come off of your US iTunes credit.Remember you can also sign up for HuluPlus and many of the other streaming service providers on the Apple TV
And that’s it. Quick and simple :) Although there are sometimes hiccups, I have found the help pages at UnoTelly have been super helpful with some of the questions I have had. I have been using Netflix for about a year now and absolutely love it!!
November 6, 2015
Restricting Adult Content on iOS devices

I often have a debates with friends and family about the kids of today using tablets and iPads. The main point I try and get across is that our kids were born into this technology. It is not foreign for them to swipe on things, similarly to the way we were brought up with Casio watches and Sony Walkmans. The thing is, the technology is here to stay, and we can’t keep our kids away from it, it is their life.

But one of the “risks” of having this sort of technology is that there is whole other world out there, that we don’t want our kids to see. It’s a reality and we need to firstly and most importantly EDUCATE our kids about what goes on out there. We can’t hide behind reality and by being honest with your kids, and telling them there are some crazy people out there, we can help protect them.

I also recently found a fantastic setting on the iOS devices which allows you to “Limit Adult Content” This doesn’t only block access to all adult sites, but also anything that could be deemed not safe for kids, such as gambling, religion etc etc. The setting is also controlled via a password so kids can’t undo this setting.

To turn this feature on do the following:

On your iOS device go to Settings -> General -> Restrictions

At this point if you have not used Restrictions before, you will need to set a password. I would suggest using a different password from whats normally used to unlock the iPad and only something you know :)

Once you in restrictions you can turn off a number of Apps etc. I personally turn off Safari & In App Purchases.

Once you go into Restrictions go to Websites and select “Limit Adult Content”

Once you try surf to a site Apple deems as unsafe, you will need to put in the restrictions password you set in the beginning.

If you ever need to go back to the full setting, you can just go into restrictions and take off the setting and allow all websites.

This is a really handy trick that works 100% of the time ;)

August 12, 2015
Deregister yourself from iMessage

Ever sent an SMS to someone who has recently changed from an iOS device to a non iOS device ? The alarmingly red exclamation mark pops up next to the little blue message, and never gets delivered which usually ends in tears from either party. You can force the message to go through as a text message, but more often than not this new non iOS person never gets the message.

Finally Apple have quietly released a very cool tool which allows these people to de-register themselves from using iMessage, meaning their messages will always be delivered as an SMS and not iMessage.

If you still have your iPhone you can simply turn off iMessage which will then de-register you.

But, if you no longer have your iPhone, you can head on over to https://selfsolve.apple.com/deregister-imessage, where you simply need to put in your cellphone number, and you will recive an SMS with a code, which you then need to enter in on the site. Simple!

Yay, I’m stoked that Apple finally came up with that much needed solution :)

November 10, 2014