Appdate: Bolt speeds into food

Bolt to deliver food

Bolt, the on-demand transport platform that connects passengers with drivers across South Africa, has announced plans to launch a food delivery service. 

The company recently underwent a global rebrand, including changing its name from Taxify to Bolt, aimed at bringing the brand identity in line with the company’s broader vision of transportation. Bolt’s services already include Ride-hailing with cars and motorbikes, as well as scooter sharing.

Platform: Android and iOS

Expect to pay: A free app. 

Stockists: Visit Bolt’s website here to sign up.

FNB in-app shopping

FNB has aded functionality to its banking app that enables customers to shop directly from the app. The eBucks Shop, which was previously only accessible on the eBucks website, offers customers exclusive pricing for products ranging from tech and gaming to appliances and outdoor. 

According to Raj Makanjee, CEO of FNB Retail, its customers as well as customers from RMB Private Bank can expect to get up to 40% off on exclusive deals. They also have the ability to track their purchases and view their order history.

To access and start shopping on the app, customers must have an existing eBucks account and have the latest version of the FNB/RMB app.

Platform: Android and iOS

Expect to pay: A free download

Stockists: Visit FNB here

B-BBEE Manager

Broad-based black economic empowerment (B-BBEE) is an aspect of business that has to be embraced by many businesses. However, many struggle with creating an integrated point of reference for their B-BBEE engagements.

Global Business Solutions has seen this challenge and developed the B-BBEE Manager. The web-based app gives companies the opportunity to capture their B-BBEE-related data and generate a scorecard based on their inputs. This app is particularly useful for small businesses who need to determine their B-BBEE status for tender work and who do not have the resources to verify this in the usual manner. 

When one logs into the B-BBEE Manager, the app will prompt them to enter details like:

• B-BBEE Summary, Employment Equity, Management and Ownership Information,
• The amount a company pays towards skills development, enterprise and supplier development,
• The Total Measurable Procurement Spend as well as other details such as the amounts spent on preferential procurement and supplier development.

Platform: Any device with an up-to-date Internet browser

Expect to pay: A free to use service

Stockists: To find out more about B-BBEE Manager visit the site here.  

WunderChild 

WunderChild is a platform that helps parents discover the natural talents of their kids from a preschool age. It does this by using a fun, interactive and very easy to use interface that asks a series of questions, guiding him or her to find out where their talents may or may not lie. Games, challenges as well as physical activities are offered, getting more and more difficult over time, allowing parents to judge how much talent their child has. 

Platform: Any device with an up-to-date Internet explorer

Expect to pay: A free download

Stockists: Visit the WunderChild here to sign up.   

FreeMind Meditiations 

The FreeMind Meditations app includes music created by film composers and professional musicians to be enjoyed while meditating. This music includes trigger sounds that are designed to evoke specific states of mind and help one engage more deeply and easily with the meditations. Although I have tried it, I can’t say for certain how well it works in terms of meditation, but the music sure is very soothing. The paid for version includes more than 250 tracks, but only 14 are available on the free version. 

Platform: Android

Expect to pay: Free, but with limited songs. The full version costs around R185 per month – maybe cheaper to buy a few sleeping tablets.

Stockists: Visit the Google Play store here to download the app