MarcForrest.com

Category: iPad

  • My Vodacom iPhone app

    I came across a very cool and handy new app from Vodacom today, called the My Vodacom App. (Thanks for the heads up Mike from AppleNews). Finally ! It’s been a long time coming, and I’m glad Vodacom finally created an app which allows you to monitor & access your account.

    The app allows you full access to view data & sms balances, see unused minutes and the best of the app for me, is purchasing of Data Bundles. Now I don’t have to call in or go online to top up my data bundles, I can just do it on my phone !

     

    This video gives a pretty good overview of what is available in the app and how to use it

    [youtube id=”PY9j_QEVxzI”]

    The app is available from BlackBerry App World, iTunes App Store, Windows Mobile App Store & Android App Store

    [app url=”https://itunes.apple.com/app/my-vodacom/id567085004?mt=8″]

  • ZABooks – South African Textbook iPad app to launch in January 2013

    I was invited to attend the annual Apple in Education awards at Monte Casino where the Core group award various learners & teachers awards for the work they have done using Apple products throughout the year. The event was fantastic, and I was in awe of what some of our youth are up to using these tools. Amazing !

    At the event, it was announced that a new iPad app, called ZABooks, would be launched in Jan 2013. The app is a collection of over 400 South African curriculum textbooks, which learners can use on the iPad. This is great news, as it allows learners to interact in the app, as well as take notes, and of course, not lug around heavy text books in their bags !

    Here is some info about the app, and I’ll pop something up here when it is launched.

    • ZABooks will be a stand alone app, separate from iBooks
    • ZABooks has been developed in partnership with all the key local education textbook publishers
    • At launch, ZABooks will have 400 textbooks pertaining to the South African curriculum, more content will be added post launch
    • ZABooks will have textbooks that range from Grade 1 to Grade 12 for both public and private schools
    • ZABooks will allow for a variety of interactive features including bookmarking, annotation, highlighting of key content as well as “freehand” writing and note taking
    • The ZABooks App will be free and exact textbook pricing will be determined by the individual publishers

    Looking forward to seeing the app when it launches !

  • My iPhoneography interview on Expresso

    Last week Friday I was invited by the team on the popular morning show Expresso on SABC 3, to chat about the upcoming iPhoneogrpahy exhibition.

    I was super excited, and nervous, but all in all the interview went off well. The Expresso studios are very very cool, and the people are all super friendly. I got to stay in the awesome 15 on Orange hotel in Cape Town, and had some time after the interview to have a walk around Cape Town, and do a little coffee tasting. All in all, I had an awesome time, and would like to thank the team at Expresso for the opportunity !!

    Check out the interview below on Youtube

    [youtube id=”vTgUmNUk1Rk”]

     

  • iOS 6 iPhone & iPad Direct Download links

    It’s official, the much anticipated iOS 6 is out. Except, EVERYONE, is downloading it. So here’s a little trick. I have previously written on manually installing the latest iOS firmware  which allows you to directly download the iOS 6 firmware, and then install  it manually using iTunes. This is loads faster and you can get onto iOS 6 before all your friends, and be cool :)

    So below are the direct download links for the latest iOS 6 firmware. You need to ensure you download the correct version for your device, otherwise you could end up with tears and an expensive paperweight. If you have an iPad that can take a SIM card, ensure you download the GSM version.

    iPhone 4s – iPhone4,1_6.0_10A403_Restore.ipsw

    iPhone 4 (GSM) – iPhone3,1_6.0_10A403_Restore.ipsw

    iPhone 3Gs – iPhone2,1_6.0_10A403_Restore.ipsw

    iPad 3 (WiFi) – iPad3,1_6.0_10A403_Restore.ipsw

    iPad 3 (GSM) – iPad3,2_6.0_10A403_Restore.ipsw

    iPad 2 (WiFi) –  iPad2,1_6.0_10A403_Restore.ipsw

    iPad 2 (GSM) – iPad2,2_6.0_10A403_Restore.ipsw

     

  • Unlocking the power of the internet with my top 10 iPhone Apps

    Over the last couple of weeks I have been doing a post a week with some of the best iPad apps I have come across over the last few years. I really enjoyed putting the lists together and got some great feedback. Some of the categories I covered were Travel, News, Kids Games, Educational Games & even Cooking apps.

    So now, I thought to end off the series, I wanted to put together a list of my Top 10 iPhone apps. The ones I use on a daily basis, and would recommend installing first, when buying your new iPhone. Make sure you read all the way to the bottom of the list, I have an exciting prize of a 5GB data bundle, to use as you wish,  to give away from the team at Vodacom, who are helping us all “Unlock the power of the internet”

    Number 1 on my list has to be Tweetbot. This is without a doubt, the first icon that gets opened on my iPhone every morning. The functionality and design of this app is far superior to any other Twitter app out there. I would even go so far to say, that it is def the best looking app I have on my iPhone. The cost of the app for the iPhone is $2.99. Well worth it. Just get it if you have a twitter account

    [app url=”http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tweetbot-for-twitter-iphone/id428851691?mt=8″]

    The next app that gets used “first thing in the morning” is the Facebook App. Given the recent update, which has made it waaay more user friendly, it’s a must have on your home screen. And it’s free !

    [app url=”http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/facebook/id284882215?mt=8″]

    Whatsapp is the next app to claim it’s stake on my home screen. Almost everyone uses Whatsapp now, so it’s a no-brainer to have this app. The cost of $0.99 is worth every cent given how many people are using it !

    [app url=”http://itunes.apple.com/za/app/whatsapp-messenger/id310633997?mt=8″]

    The number 4 spot on my must have iPhone apps is another regularly used app. Camera+ – The ultimate iPhone camera replacement app. I have moved this to my home screen and the standard iPhone camera to the “Unused” folder on the last page. Another “must-have” app at only $0.99

    [app url=”http://itunes.apple.com/za/app/camera+/id329670577?mt=8″]

    The wildly popular and very user friendly FNB Banking app is another home screen resident. I use the FNB app for quite a bit of my online banking now, and prefer being able to use it on the go. It has saved my life *many times* :)

    [app url=”http://itunes.apple.com/za/app/fnb-banking-app/id450094779?mt=8″]

    I have to admit (if you didn’t already know) I’m a HUGE instagram fan, so another one of those FREE have-to-download apps. This app and the images of some of the people I follow keeps me entertained for hours.

    [app url=”http://itunes.apple.com/za/app/instagram/id389801252?mt=8″]

    In at number 7 is another app I keep on my home screen, purely for 1 small feature. The app is called Celsius, It’s an awesome looking weather app,  and has a red “push-notification” icon which shows you the current premature for your selected city.Very clever ! The app is also pretty useful and is pretty accurate in terms of the actual weather conditions, and a bargain at only $0.99

    [app url=”http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/celsius-weather-temperature/id426940482?mt=8″]

    The default browser on the iPhone, Safari, is another app relegated to the dreaded “Unused” folder. This means that the awesome FREE Google Chrome app takes it place as the go-to browser. The fact that it syncs between your desktop & mobile devices, makes it super cool. My next wishlist item from the team at Apple is the ability to allow me to select it as my default browser. Would make life so much simpler :)

    [app url=”http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/chrome/id535886823?mt=8″]

    The 2nd last app on this list is a rather simple app. And this app gets used way, way to often on my iPhone. Simply called Flashlight, this “tool” comes in really handy when I need a torch, which seems to be a lot more often than “normal” people. (Not quite sure why though :)) There are loads of Flashlight type apps in the app store, but this one has proven to be the best by far !

    [app url=”http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/flashlight/id379745980?mt=8″]

    Last, but certainly not least, and another of my “morning reads” is the ever popular News24 App. Although the pop-up ads can be a bit annoying, the app always has the latest breaking news. Turn on the push notifications for Breaking news, and you get the news first. Pretty handy, when you a news junkie like me ;)

    [app url=”http://itunes.apple.com/za/app/news24/id310970460?mt=8″]

    So, that’s my list of the 10 must have home screen apps. And we want to hear what your favorites are.

    Use the RaffleCopter form below to enter in the comp ! The more you do, the more chances you have of winning.

    a Rafflecopter giveaway

    We will select a winner by Random draw next week Monday 3rd September. The winner will receive a 5GB data bundle compliments of Vodacom ! Good luck !