In this week’s AppDate, SEAN BACHER highlights the Wildebeest migration live streaming, CrashDetech, Wazupa, Domestly, Typeeto and Swift Playgrounds.
Wildebeest migration live streaming
WildEarth, in partnership with HerdTracker, is currently live streaming the wildebeest migration in Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve, via Facebook and YouTube. The live broadcasts are hosted daily on HerdTracker’s Facebook page and WildEarth’s safariLIVE
YouTube channel from 16:00 to 23:30 EAT (East Africa Time) and will centre on the wildebeest migration crossing the Nile crocodile-infested Mara River, as well as on predatory action of lions hunting at night in the Masai Mara.
Platform: Most devices with an up-to-date Internet browser.
Stockists: Search for the safariLIVE Live Stream channel on YouTube or view it here: http://www.discoverafrica.com/herdtracker/
Expect to pay: Free to watch.
CrashDetech
There are numerous in-case-of-emergency applications available on both the Android and Apple stores – most of them performing the same functions. CrashDetech offers users the ability to input emergency contact details, medical aid details and other vital information.
However, it goes a step further in that it is continually monitoring one’s trips and has a one-touch button to dial an emergency operator, should the need arise. Furthermore, the app uses a phone’s accelerometer to detect any abrupt stops and then notifies the same emergency operators, who then attempt to make contact with the user. Should there be no answer, emergency personnel are automatically dispatched to the scene of the accident using the phone’s GPS co-ordinates.
Platform: Android and iOS
Stockists: www.crashdetech.com
Expect to pay: Various packages are available, with the Elite version costing R110 per month.
Wazupa
Fancy a home cooked meal but have no time to make it yourself? South Africans have a solution for a better, healthier lifestyle. Order a meal from someone who lives close to you and pay with the tap of a screen. Wazupa connects ‘Home Chefs’ to ‘Grazers’, those who like to eat, and creates a convenient location-based marketplace. Users can collect their meals or have them delivered for a fee. To order a meal, Grazers simply check what each chef has available, then select, order, decide to collect, or request delivery, and make payment. Much like Uber, the app uses a rating system for each chef. Until recently, Wazupa was only available in Joburg and Pretoria where it was piloted, but it is now available nationwide.
Platform: Android and iOS
Stockists: Visit the store linked to your device.
Expect to pay: A free download.
Domestly
Domestly, South Africa’s first on-demand cleaning app, recognised as this year’s Best Consumer App and overall MTN App of the Year, has now been rolled out in Johannesburg. Once installed, users make a selection from one of over 500 reviewed cleaners, specify the date and time they would like their help to arrive and choose whether they would need them for a full or half day. Users also have the option of searching for their help based on price, and payment is made directly from the app through a credit card or EFT.
Platform: Android and iOS
Stockists: www.domestly.com
Expect to pay: A free download.
Typeeto
Typeeto makes typing long texts on a mobile device much easier and quicker. It does this by connecting a Mac keyboard to devices like Apple TV, iPads, iPhones and also Android devices. In addition to using a full-scale keyboard to bang out text for WhatsApp messages,
the app allows users to play/pause/rewind or fast-forward any media file. It also offers the option to switch from one device to another when copying and pasting text. In order to use the Mac keyboard, users install the Typeeto app on their device and pair it to the keyboard using Bluetooth – no additional software is needed.
Platform: Android and iOS
Stockists: Visit the store linked to your device.
Expect to pay: A free download.
Swift Playgrounds
Swift Playgrounds is a programming app designed for beginners. It is specifically designed for use on Apple’s range of iPads and uses real coding concepts which are brought to life with an interactive interface – no more hard-coding lines and lines of codes and then spending hours filtering out all the bugs. Despite being aimed at beginners, the programming language is currently being used by professional developers to create world-class apps.
Platform: iOS
Stockists: Visit the Apple app Store
Expect to pay: A free download
* Sean Bacher is editor of Gadget.co.za. Follow him on Twitter on @SeanBacher
