Snapplify’s partnership with Longhorn Publishers
A partnership between Snapplify and Longhorn Publishers will make thousands of curriculum-aligned books available to schools and students across the continent.
Longhorn’s catalogue covers a diverse curriculum, spanning east, west and southern Africa.
Snapplify allows for offline usage and supports interactive content. It is compatible with most new and old devices. It comes with academic and accessibility features, such as in-app notes and highlights, and text-to-speech functionality.
Thousands of schools have joined the Snapplify family. Register here for free to get access to teacher benefits and other educational tools.
Platform: Most devices with an up-to date browser
Expect to pay: A free download
Stockists: Email Snapplify here for more information
Dashpay Glass wireless payments
Merchants, from informal traders to chain retailers, are now able to offer customers a secure payment acceptance solution, via most NFC-enabled Android devices, with no sign-up costs, monthly fees or data charges.
The Dashpay Glass app enables most NFC-enabled Android smartphones in South Africa to be used as a mobile credit card payment terminal.
Users can download the app from the Google Play Store, complete a basic profile and start transacting. All successfully completed transactions appear in the merchant’s Glass wallet, with pay-outs available on completion of FICA and business profile verifications. Reverse data integration means that merchants don’t use their own mobile data to transact, nor will a transaction fail in the event that a merchant doesn’t have a positive data balance.
“Dashpay Glass offers all the security of a traditional card payment terminal, backed by decades of experience in successfully managing the back-end systems for thousands of secure payment terminals across South Africa,” says Dashpay MD Benjamin Powell.
Users don’t pay a sign-up or rental fee to use the app and there are no operating data costs for either merchant or customer. Merchants pay only an introductory transaction fee of 2.5%.
Platform: Android
Expect to pay: A free download
Stockists: Dashpay Glass can be downloaded from the Google Play Store.
FlySafair’s WhatsApp services
FlySafair has added new features to its WhatsApp business account, allowing passengers to search for their booking and check in for their flight directly within the app.
The WhatsApp booking management features will be useful for those in areas where connectivity is low and the chance of the website or app timing out is high.
“Where internet access is less reliable, passengers can bypass both the website and app to easily search for their flight details and check-in via WhatsApp,” says Kirby Gordon, FlySafair chief marketing officer.
To access the WhatsApp services, users need to:
- Send a message to the FlySafair business account on 087 357 0030
- Say “Hi” to bring up a menu with different options
- Select option 2 for check-in
- Follow the prompts to receive the boarding pass via the messaging app
- To review a booking, select option 1 and follow the message prompts to pull up the flight details
Additional features, like the ability to add a bag to an existing booking and buy a food voucher through the messaging app, will be added soon.
Platform: Any device running WhatsApp
Expect to pay: A free download
Stockists: Download WhatsApp here and follow the above instructions to get the FlySafair features
Vodacom Prime Video Mobile Edition
Vodacom customers are now able to subscribe to Amazon Prime Video Mobile Edition, regardless of their contract. They will be able to view thousands of movies, TV series and Amazon Originals on a single mobile device.
Customers signing up for the service get a 30-day free trial and 10GB of video data valid for 30 days. Thereafter it costs R59 per month and includes 3GB of video data.
Platform: Android and iOS
Expect to pay: R59 per month.
Stockists: Visit the Vodacom Prime Video site here for more information and to sign up.
Eyesrus
Personal security app Eyesrus helps users tracking them while driving, walking or jogging, it is tailored to help fight crime by automatically supplying users with evidence to present to the police for use in courts.
If one is feeling threatened, tapping a button on the app puts one in contact with a nominated guardian or a call centre. At this point, the app automatically switches on and begins streaming audio of the unfolding situation to a cloud site. When a person using this app is moving into a danger zone, it automatically turns on the front and rear cameras on the smartphone to send visual material, along with requesting a code for a response. Ten seconds later, if no response is received from the user to cancel the notification, emergency protocols are triggered, and an armed-response company is dispatched.
“Our experience has shown that help has arrived within eight minutes at the latest and, in most cases, around five minutes,” says Eyesrus developer Sibusiso Mbhele.
Fast response time is offered through a network of security companies with a total staff complement of about 5,400 people, who send help immediately after they are alerted.
A check-in feature designed specifically for people on dates or out with friends can be pre-set so that, at given times, the user checks in. If a report-in is missed, Eyesrus automatically contacts a designated guardian and sets off a GPS trail showing where the user is.
For people who are on foot in unfamiliar surroundings, a “dead man’s trigger” feature ensures that they are safe. Walking while holding the phone with a finger on the app logo signals that they are safe. Moving their finger off the button starts the process. If the call is not stopped within 10 seconds, a rescue procedure is launched.
Platform: Android
Expect to pay: A free download
Stockists: Download the app here
