In this AppDate, SEAN BACHER highlights the new Sunday Times app, GauRider 2.0, C-flix, the BMW Museum App, Opera Mini with Video Boost, the REDISA Game, SAOTA’s 3D app, IFS Streams for Apple Watch, and SyncMate for Android.
C-flix joins VoD stream
The latest VoD (Video on Demand) player to enter the market is InterneTV with its C-flix app. Although the app is specifically designed for tablets and smartphones, it does offer a swipe option to view content on a smart TV. C-flix offers about 15 000 titles, many of them classics or older movies, but is in the process of adding later titles and apparently will soon be adding new releases before any other local VOD platform.
Platform: Android and iOS
Stockists: Visit the store linked to your device.
Expect to pay: R62 per month.
Sunday Times app
The newly launched Sunday Times app is now easier to navigate, features a range of new features and includes functionality for faster downloads at reduced download speeds. The app now allows users to access rich content like videos, photos, galleries and even recipes. Subscribers also have an the option to download complete editions of The Times and Sunday Times in PDF format.
Platform: Android and iOS
Stockists: Visit the store linked to your device.
Expect to pay: A free download, but is only accessible to Sunday Time subscribers.
GauRider 2.0
Apart from being able to view train departure and arrival times, GauRider 2.0 also allows users to view bus times. This version has been designed to make navigation easier and includes an option to log train rides according to departure and arrival points and train fares. The Smart Log System enables commuters to log their current gold card amounts and view if they have enough money to pay for train rides.The Smart GauSave Indicator displays the on-peak and off-peak rates, helping commuters know how much money they need to load in order to reach their destination.
Platform: iOS
Stockists: Visit the Apple App Store for downloading instructions.
Expect to pay: R80
BMW Museum App
The BMW Museum App offers users the ability to plan their tour of the museum in Munich before heading off. Users can preview highlights from the history of BMW and its products before they make their trip, while interactive technology allows them to engage more intensively with the exhibits during the visit itself. The app provides in-depth explanatory descriptions of the individual departments and exhibits and the audio and text commentaries are offered in seven different languages.
Platform: Android and iOS
Stockists: Visit the store linked to your device.
Expect to pay: A free download.
Opera Mini with Video Boost
Android users will see less of the video-buffering wheel when watching videos through the latest Opera Mini Browser thanks to its Video Boost feature. It reduces the size of video data to lessen video loading time, which also results in less data being used. To start boosting video, users simply need to navigate to the “O” menu and tap the savings summary to change to high-savings mode. They then need to tick the box beside video boost to switch on smoother viewing. The video boost feature also shows a count where users can keep track of how many videos have been optimised.
Platform: Android
Stockists: Visit the Google Play Store for downloading instructions.
Expect to pay: A free download.
REDISA Game
The REDISA Game is developed by the Recycling and Economic Development Initiative of South Africa and is designed to educate gamers on the value of waste. It is set in Jozyville, a fictional city that has become a polluted wasteland. The player’s objective is to declare war against pollution and clean up Jozyville, while making as much money as possible. Tools at the gamers’ disposal are a waste-cart and their entrepreneurial wits to make money from trash.
Platform: Windows, Android and iOS
Stockists: Visit the store linked to your device.
Expect to pay: A free download.
SAOTA 3D app
SAOTA, a firm of architectural designers and technologists, has released an app that allows users to view their architectural designs in 3D with the use of the Google Cardboard Viewer. The app simply needs to be downloaded and a building selected to view through the Cardboard. Once selected, viewers can roam around the SAOTA masterpiece as if they were there in real life.
Platform: Android and iOS
Stockists: Visit the store linked to your device.
Expect to pay: A free download.
IFS Streams for Apple Watch
IFS Streams is an app that will only work within an IFS ERP implementation and lets users receive real-time updates and insight into the status of relevant company information and processes. The tool actively alerts users when changes happen in business objects, workflow tasks, IFS Talk conversations, and business events that relate to the employee’s work.
Platform: Apple Watch
Stockists: Visit the Apple App Store for downloading instructions.
Expect to pay: A free download.
SyncMate for Android
SyncMate allows for the synchronisation of data on between an Apple Mac and an Android device. The free edition offers the ability to sync only contacts and calendars, while the expert edition will also include images, videos, folders and music. The expert edition also lets one mount an Android device as a disk on an Apple Mac – letting the user browse and organise files much like any other disk.
Platform: Android
Stockists: Visit the Google Play Store for downloading instructions.
Expect to pay: R600
* Sean Bacher is editor of Gadget.co.za. Follow him on Twitter on @SeanBacher