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  • Alan Knott-Craig buys MXit

    Alan Knott-Craig buys MXit

    This is pretty big news in the South African tech world. Ex iBurst CEO and now head of a VC company called World of Avatar, Alan Knott-Craig Jnr, today announced that they would be buying what could arguarly be one of South Africa’s sucess stories, MXit. There has been no value associated with the purchase price, but there are estimates in the 500 million mark.

    MXit was founded in 1997 by Herman Heunis , who has taken it to almost 43 million subscribers. It is going to be really interesting to see what happens here, and how World Of Avatar continues to grow MXit amongst the social network platforms like Twitter & FB

    For more info & reading check out the Memeburn Article & the TechCentral article. Interesting indeed !

     

  • Instagram gets an awesome update in version 2.0

     

    Everyone’s favorite iPhone photo app, Instagram (iTunes link – FREE), got an awesome awesome update today. And the biggest thing for me, “Full res” output. You can now export your images at 1936×1936 on the iPhone 4 & 1536×1536 on the iPhone3GS which will make them ideal for printing etc.

    There are loads of other features that have been added, from the instagram blog post detailing the changes:

    Live filters – so fast, we let you see them live
    See the world through Instagram’s stunning effects before you even snap a photo. Simply select a filter, hold the camera up to the scene and see the world through Instagram’s visual effects. We’ve re-written your favorite Instagram filters to be over 200x faster so even after having taken a photo, switching between them takes no time at all. Get an in-depth look at the new camera UI.

    Four new filters
    You’ve asked for more, and we’re excited to provide four brand new filters: Amaro, Rise, Hudson, and Valencia. With these new filters, we continue the trend of turning regular photos into beautiful snapshots. What’s most exciting to us is that we’ve teamed up with @colerise, an extremely popular Instagrammer, to produce these new effects. Keep your eye out for more collaborations to come.

    Instant tilt-shift
    Selective blur over 100X faster than before. Pinch, pan and rotate tilt-shift to give your photos unparalleled depth of field with live preview included. Learn more about live tilt shift.

    High-resolution photos – 10x larger than before
    Clarity and detail with every shot. By far, the most requested feature from both pros and amateurs alike, we’ve increased our photo size from 612×612 to 1936×1936 on the iPhone 4 (1536×1536 on the iPhone3GS). You’ll capture beautiful moments in all their detailed glory. Read more about high-resolution Instagram photos.

    Borders now optional
    The creative flexibility you asked for. Turn every filter’s border on or off to fit the mood and aesthetic of the scene.

    One-click rotation
    Easily rotate photos within the camera. No more sideways photos. Use our simple controls to make sure you’ve got the right orientation every time.

    New icon
    We updated our app icon! It’s the same look, but with more depth and dimension.

    If you haven’t got instagram yet, I highly suggest taking a look at it, this really take iPhoneography to a whole new level !

  • Olloclip – The ultimate iPhone photography accessory

     

    I came across the Olloclip Lens set a while back while browsing around the net one night, and it looked amazing. At $70 it didn’t come in as a cheap accessory, so I ummed & ahhed about it, until I eventually caved in after I had some extra cash lying around in my PayPal.

    Macro Lens

    I am glad I did, and finally got to pick it up yesterday. WOW ! What an awesome little accesory. The Olloclip is essentially 3 extra lenses in 1 nifty device, and offers a Wide Angle, Fisheye & Macro Lens, withouth the need for a special case. It simply just fits over the camera lens.

    Wide Angle Lens

    I took a stroll to Gateway at lunch time to give it a run, and you can see some of the pics I took. I have to admit I am most blown away by the Macro Lens, and you will be amazed at what you can actually pick up using it. The Fisheye lens is also cool, and gives a distorted view at how we normally look at things.

    Fish Eye Lens

    If you looking for an extra little gadget to up your iPhoneography, I can highly recommend the Olloclip. Also check out their Facebook Page & Flickr Group for some awesome pics. The only downfall I can see here is that the Olloclip is specifically designed for the iPhone4, and with a “potential” iPhone5 around the corner, you may want to hang on if you looking to upgrade. Otherwise, well worth the cash !

     

     

  • Darren Scott axed from Supersport & Jacaranda FM

     

    With the World Cup only 3 days away it looks as if Supersports studio team will be a man short.

    Word on the street is that Darren Scott has been axed from BOTH Supersport & Jacaranda after a racial slur over the weekend. According to Channel24, he swore at colleague and made racist remarks at the Mabula lodge in Bela-Bela on Friday evening during a team building event

    According the Jacaranda site, he handed in his “resignation” earlier today from his very popular morning show, which sounds like it has completely changed the stations audience. – http://www.jacarandafm.com/kagiso/content/en/jacaranda/jacaranda-lifes-greatest-hits?oid=1357983&sn=Detail&pid=756865

    And according the Supersport site, Scott was “relieved” of his presenting duties, indefintely, after the incident – http://www.supersport.com/press-releases/news/110907/Statement_on_Darren_Scott

     

    Interesting times ahead. My money. It won’t be long before we hear Darren’s voice on 2OceansVibe Radio.
    (edit: I been asked by some of the readers to clarify what I mean in the above statement. Not that I have to, but thought I would anyway. My statement simply states that a lot of the “greats” of South African Radio are moving to online radio. Given that 2OV radio is one of the first online radio stations in the country, and has already snapped up some big names in SA Radio, I insinuated that Darren would be a good addition to the already fantastic line-up. In retrospect and given what he said, I suppose it may not be THE best decision, but if you look past at what happened and what great personality & presenter he really is, he would most probably be a great addition to the team. Pure speculation. Case closed)

  • iTunesUSA/iEverything gets a little makeover

    The guys over at iTunesUSA/iEverything, which I told you about a while back, recently relaunched their brand new store.

    The site offers instant delivery of iTunes vouchers to your email address, which you can redeem in the US iTunes store. The best thing about the site, for me, is it is offers an Instant EFT option, through PayFast, which allows you to log into your internet banking (no matter what bank), and instantly transfer your cash across to get your voucher delivered to you. You can also buy Ukash vouchers at any Pick ‘n Pay and can use those on the site as well.

    I have been chatting to the guys at iEverything for a while now, and they really love what they do. Often I get queries about their service through my site, and I can forward it to them anytime of the day, and they sort the issue out ASAP. Their service is superb. The biggest gripe I have heard about the site is that they always seemed to be out of stock, but after having a coffee with one of the owners the other day, they seem to have sorted this out with a new supplier & should have stock more often.

    If you looking for iTunes vouchers, give them a try. I can honestly vouch for them.

    P.S. I was NOT asked or payed to write this. The links to the site are however affiliate links, which help contribute to site costs