Top 10 iPhone Apps of 2011

The App Store (iOS) was opened in July 10, 2008. As at early July 2011, 200 million iOS users had downloaded over 15 billion apps from its App Store. As of May 2011, Apple approved its 500,000th app and 37 percent of all apps are free with the average price $3.64. 30% of revenue from the store go to Apple, and 70% go to the developers of the app. Now that’s a Huge Store!

Here’s my list of the Apps I couldn’t do without in 2011. List of according to preference.

*Click on the Name of the App to be directed to the App Store page.

1. TweetBot Price: $2.99

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Tweetbot automatically became my default twitter client after I purchased it. It offers the most amazing twitter experience. It has a great design, many options on integrated services such as Read Later, Image & Video upload, Mobilizer and customizable tabs. It also manages your lists well, push notification and funky sounds. My favorite is tweet options where you can double/tripple tap a tweet, hold, swipe to the right/left for conversation/replies resp. and so forth. Without a doubt, Tweetbot is a twitter client with personality. I recommend you give it a try.

2. Pulse News for iPhone Price: Free

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I usually say the whole internet lives in this App. It’s amazing! Very customizable allowing you to use the landscape mode while reading articles. News sources range from Art, Business, Fashion, Gaming, Lifestyle, Music, News, Sports, Technology etc. You can add pages eg. Tech/News as in the screen shots where you read various articles from wold’s best sources.

3. MobileRSS Price: Free, Pro: $2.99

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This is a Google RSS reader where you log in with your Google reader account. It syncs with what you already have on the Pc and marks your unread items. It’s excellent for your favorite blogs since you’re notified of new posts. I use it almost daily, enjoying excellent blog posts. It also supports images and video display, best enjoyed on a WiFi connection.

4. TuneIn Radio Price: Free

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Yup! Radio on your iPhone! I was overjoyed to come across this App. I’m a big radio listener and this app has limitless options. You can tune in to your favorite local radio stations (Shout out Capital FM!) as well as international stations around the world. There’s the option of creating a Preset list to avoid search every time you log in. Browse Podcasts, Talks etc in the internet. Other stations allow recording songs to the ipod app, how cool is that! It runs great on a 3G network where you can monitor data usage under settings, WiFi & 3G separately. The Mp3 sound output if perfect when connected to external speakers. Be assured of total entertainment.

5. Bible Price: Free

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This App is fantastic! If you have an account on YouVersion, log in the account and you’ll have access to your Bible reading plans. You can set bookmarks and highlight verses across around 27 versions of the Holy Bible. Some versions allow download over WiFi for offline reading and, wait for it… Audio option!! You can hear the bible being read to you with background effects. The audio option is only available when you have a network connection however. I love the feature really much and you’ll be amused reading the whole Bible.

6. Instagram Price: Free

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Photography. If you love photography get this App. It’s a fun, simple way of viewing and sharing gorgeous, breathtaking photos. Users have accounts, as on Twitter, but the timeline is a photo-stream. Most photos are taken using an iPhone but the best bit of it are the effects. These transform a photo and after upload, you can automatically share on Facebook or Twitter since they’re integrated. You can spend hours browsing breath taking photos. You may Like/Leave a comment. The more people you follow, the more fun the app is. Follow me @eGichomo on Instagram

7. TED Price: Free

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We all know TED. Ideas worth spreading. Now you can view thousands of these talks in the palm of your hand. It streams perfect over WiFi and 3G connections as well as TED radio. Browse Tags on just about any topic. You can share the videos on Social Media, Save them on your phone or bookmark to watch later. Get Inspired, Motivated.. you name it!

8. Read it Later Price: Free, Pro $2.99

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I came to learn of this App after using Tweetbot on a not-so-cheap mobile data network. Once you hold a link on Tweetbot, there’s an option to send it to Read it Later. This is useful if you don’t want to miss the contents of an article which might be huge and bulky to open on your mobile phone. The Read it Later app arranges the links for a later read, eg. when you get a WiFi connection as well as Syncing your account where you may visit the links on a Pc. This App displays articles really well and the Pro version allows sharing on social media.

9. Angry Birds Price: $0.99, Free

The most addictive game, yet. I actually have it’s song as my ringtone! haha.. It has many versions, I’m currently playing Rio, and the best advantage of the paid version is additional levels. Very enjoyable, and you’ll always make friends when they find this app in your phone. Enjoy.

10. WhatsApp Messenger Price: $0.99

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This App was once free on the App Store and I got lucky to grab it then. Now it’s going at $0.99 Ladies love texting and WhatsApp is a gateway drug. The best thing about it is you don’t have to create account because it browses your phone book and automatically adds the users. You can share photos and videos, See when someone was last online and share location. It has push notification to notify you when someone sends you a message while you’re not on the App. Enjoy.

Other Apps that almost made it to my Top 10 list include: VLC, Photoshop Express, IMDb, News360, WordPress App and Opera Mini.

What are your Top Apps in your iOS, Android or Blackberry device? Share below.

I’ll do another post or YouTube video sharing my favorite Cydia tweaks & individual Apps review.

Acer Smart Phones

Rapid Communication Ltd is a telecommunications solution provider and an exclusive partner of the iTouch brand of mobile phones. Rapid also has a strong strategic technology alliance with Iskratel, QPAY Spot & Zing Mobile.

Rapid Communications has grown to be one of the most effective telecommunications solution providers for innovative solutions, services and products of its kind from Kenya to the rest of Africa and the Middle East maintaining quality products and services in the market.
That’s why I decided to do this blog post on their Acer Smart phones running the Android OS. Check out the video below.

Wondering how you can see the specifications of the phones? Follow this link here and click on the product. Pretty neat.

Smart phones have changed the way we interact and conduct our businesses. Great Apps are being developed and this has made life extremely easy. Share your opinions on smart phones in the comments section.

Rapid Communication Ltd is located at Centro House 3rd Floor, Ring Road, Westlands. Nairobi, Kenya. Here’s a slideshow for the products available.

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Follow Rapid Communication on Twitter | Facebook | YouTube

Song of the Week : Hard-Fi – ‘Fire In The House’ & Tiesto Remix

Last year I published a post expressing my opinion on music and a couple of people shared their love for Enya, whom I had specifically featured in the post. A year later and my love for music has grown even stronger, could this be my new high?

I have to share this song: “Fire In The House” by the band Hard-Fi. I discovered them through the Tiesto podcast. Great song, Tiesto’s remix will blow your socks off!! He took it to a whole other level… Enjoy.

Original.________________________________________________________________

Tiesto Remix.____________________________________________________________

Follow Hard-Fi on:

Facebook

Twitter

YouTube

What’s your take on music? Favorite song at the moment? Share below..

Instagram & Photography

I recently downloaded the Instagram App for iOS and just a couple of days after, I’m totally hooked!
It’s a photographers heaven. There are brilliant photos of just about anything. The app uses the concept of Twitter where users create accounts and follow each other.. Only that the timeline (photo stream) consists of awesome photos. Hashtags can be used and you tag someone as well as comment; where the user is notified in the news tab.
Ideas are limitless and the FREE app comes with gorgeous filter effects. It has Twitter and Facebook integration and you can share your photos with family and friends. There is a photographer in everyone, and the photo steam is always breathtaking not forgetting the “Popular” tab which displays photos with the most reactions.
Here are some of my pics that I have shared so far. They’ve received some likes and pretty encouraging comments. What’s your Instagram user name? Share in the comments area and I’ll definitely follow back.
Follow eGichomo on instagram.

rO Photography

Photography is the science, art and practice of drawing with light.  We’ve all at one point in life captured moments using a camera. Technology has made photography experience fantastic through invention of powerful cameras and lenses, smart digital cameras and camera integration in cell phones. People have made careers out of it as well as hobbies. Photography complements travel. A picture says a thousand words. This post is dedicated to all who have a passion in photography and one of them is rO. I introduce you to Riyaz Osman.

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PROFILE

NAME: Riyaz Osman

EMAIL: riyaz.osman@gmail.com

URL: rO Photography   Twitter: @ri_yaz

Professional Photographer living and working in Nairobi, Kenya.

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• Which Camera do you use, lenses and other accessories?

I use a Nikon D5000. I have a standard 18-55mm Nikon lens, and managed to get a 55-200mm zoom lens. I got a Nikon flashlight as well to compliment night shots. A friend (zaheen) recently bought me a tripod to work with!

• How did you start off in Photography? Did you face any challenges?

Well, as mentioned earlier, the biggest challenge was getting the equipment initially. Locally obtaining them is quite a cost, and so is abroad. Plus, if you don’t really have means to cover it, you may see yourself spending quite a chunk! That’s why they say, ‘Photography Is an expensive hobby.’

Once you start though, trust me you never look back!

The other challenge is the mentality of people.  Quoting a job sometimes gets so hectic. At present, most ‘customers’ are friends, so you can imagine if you are trying to make any headway. They’re always there using your skills for free!! (Lol. I’m just kidding) Well, getting clients is quite a hustle – You sometimes have to be so patient. Plus competition out there is massive, there are people who have made their mark out there, and if I can get anywhere even as close as them, it will be massively lucky for me!

The other challenge I face is my work – I’m so busy in my full time job that sometimes I have had to turn down jobs *ouch* coz I couldn’t make the timing (say a weekday during the day!)

Also, when you do some shoot over the weekend, the client “naturally” expects pics in, say, one day. Whereas I may have to take 2-3 days for the editing, correction etc coz of my other commitments. Basically, timing is sometimes a “Challenge” to me.

• Are you into professional photography as a career or a hobby?

I’ve always loved photography, and pictures. Since the days of hanging out, or raving and those road trips, pictures always fascinated me! So somewhere along the line when accounts got really boring, I thought to myself, why not get deeper into this? I saved up some Quids to get the camera. I currently do it as a hobby but get a few jobs here and there simply to be able to obtain more and more accessories, then who knows??

• What’s your view on Photography in Kenya? Is there potential?

There is awesome talent here!! I see some of the pictures my fellow, respected professionals take and I go, “is that in Kenya?!!” Yu see stuff day in day out but the way the pictures are captured makes it unbelievable!! The great thing about Kenya is that we have such vast scenery, I think it’s definitely one of the best, from the lake to the ocean… from the dry lands to the forest!

• Who’s your mentor and who’s work do you admire most?

My mentor has always been Najam Quraishy (Chico) of Photomural Gigiri. From teaching me how to take pics to their enhancement. He has taught me most of the things I know. Great funny guy and I owe him a lot!

I don’t really admire wok of someone particular; I just love the art in pictures. I believe everyone has a photographer hidden inside them (even those blurry club pics that my friend Snave takes from his 1.3mp camera phone are sometimes breathtaking!!)

• Parting Words…

To sum it all up, I thank everyone who has helped me learn everything I know… and for all the support… Let’s keep clicking away!

“If you see something that moves you, and then snap it, you keep a moment.” 
– Linda McCartney

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Credits: Special thanks to Riyaz Osman. This article may be used for commercial purposes but kindly give credit to rO and link back to this blog post. 

My First YouTube Review Videos

Over the weekend I managed to shoot two review videos using an iPhone and iPad 2. Both were directly uploaded to YouTube from the devices using a WiFi connection.

I must admit, I respect the guys who prepare review videos and share them on YouTube. It’s not an easy task and within the hour of shooting my two vids, I learnt plenty. Let’s discuss both below.

Video 1.__________________________________________________________________________________

This was shot using an iPad 2. There were lots of noise interference and I have made apologies for the video quality as well. No editing was done and I failed on lighting too. The iPad 2 seemed to lack the auto-focus option. All in all, I managed to upload my first ever review video on youtube. It was fun.

Video 2.________________________________________________________________________________

To add on to the above flows, this particular video was challenging since it required a lot of coordination. This was shot by an iPhone 3Gs and i appreciated the inbuilt auto focus feature. Balancing the light, however, seemed to be the greatest challenge. All in all, this was a fun exercise for a Sunday afternoon. I hope to have inspired someone who owns a HD camera, editing software or even a studio to make more videos. We should have more of these in East Africa where guys set up channels and run helpful, informative and fun channels. The scope of talent and ideas is endless as we look forward to ripping the best of broadband connectivity.

Tips

While uploading the videos, choose a ‘selling’ Title. Fill in a detailed, informative description as well as keying in relevant links here. Choose the right category and add TAGS. These help when search on videos is performed. Thinks smart, and simple.

Thanks for reading, it’s an honor as always. Kindly watch the videos and share your thoughts below.

Special thanks to @AleksGee 

Happy Second Birthday @eGichomo

It’s been two years since the date of registration for the twitter account @eGichomo. Twitter is amazing in so many ways so let me see what more I’d say about it with more than 140 characters.

I like twitter because it’s for smart people. I love content that flows on my timeline. Among the 100 million Active Users, there are some really awesome accounts out there. From breaking news to interesting discussions, twitter has it all. Contents change by the minute.

I hate twitter because it’s highly addictive. I don’t know the neuroscience of this but it seems to activate a kind of scattered, jumpy feeling. I do not like anything that has the effects of drugs in me. Twitter rehabs needed!

How I use twitter

Interview: Ahmed Salim – Initiator of FeedKe

QUICK BIO:

A well known Social Entrepreneur based in Nairobi, Kenya. Ahmed Salim is the founder of Fluid Tees, a T-Shirt brand riding high on Twitter and Facebook marketing. He is also a social activist well known for his involvement in United Kenya (during the referendum), Kenya ni Yetu (for the constitution), Kenya Feb28 (singing of the national anthem), Pamoja (showing unity and joining together in prayers for Japan earthquake victims) and now the ongoing #FeedKe.

Other than these social endeavors, Ahmed is an accomplished marketer of repute, working as a lead marketer at a Nairobi agency. His candid demeanor and charisma are just a few attributes that endeavor him to many. I’m honored to have him on this interview. ____________________________________________________________________________________

Read Ahmed Salim's note Kenyans, Let's RISE together after his visit in Turkana

Q. Welcome Ahmed. How and When did the FeedKe idea come to you?

Ahmed:  Thank you Evans. *FeedKe was very random.  It wasn’t planned at all. I woke up on the 19^th July and what I saw or heard the previous night was still in me. I asked Kenyans can’t we do something ourselves? And to my surprise, it was just like people were waiting to be told what to do. I got questions like: What do you have in mind? How can we help? We’re in, tell us… and that is when FeedKe was born. In a span of 45 min all was up and running.

10 Kenyan Media Personalities You Need To Follow On Twitter

[UPDATED] See Bottom of the page.

Twitter is a great tool for breaking news. We have our media personalities who are active twitter users and they offer informative, timely, inspiring and fun content. Why wouldn’t you want to follow them when you have a chance to engage in a discussion? Here’s my list of 10.

* Note: The list is in no Chronological order (Other than alternating male, female..)

Enjoy the poll at the end of the post. (Closing Date: 01.08.2011 at 4:00pm)

My 5 Links

Well, this is my own nomination to kick off the sequence. This blog is two years old and It has had it’s own times. This is my 20th post and I hope to build an archive of magnificent content.

On to my 5 links:

My Most Popular Post :Welcome to The Kenya Blog Contest

This was the poll center for some of the best 2010 blogs in Kenya. Twitter played a great role in spreading the word and votes streamed in as well as feedback. I think I had organised well and managed to conduct a nice poll without hitches or headaches. Hope I will say the same about #My5Links some time later..

My 5 Links | 2011 Kenya Blogs

It has been a year since The Kenya Blog Contest and we have learnt so much for the past year. A blogger has the experience that not all blog posts receive the same reception.

However, here’s a chance to go into the archives and share some of the links that you feel deserve another read. Comment on the lessons learnt and give a small explanation as to why a certain link falls in the respective category.

The aim is to appreciate bloggers and in Kenya and share mini-blog rolls for a broader read. Here are the steps and categories to follow:

Categories (Where you’ll include the blog links to share, giving a small commentary):

• My Most Popular Post
• Post that Didn’t Get The Attention It Deserved
• Post Whose Success Surprised Me
• My Most Controversial Post
• Post I Am Most Proud Of

The Guidelines:

1. Blogger is nominated by other blogger(s)
2. Blogger publishes their 5 links on their blog and tweets the link with #My5Links
3. The Blogger nominates five other bloggers to do the same.

Happy Blogging!

Social Media

Social media has changed the way we spend our day-to-day lives. I dedicate this post to Social Media and will update it in intervals. Updates will be shared on my twitter page.

For now, I Gotta Share this musical that made my day. Enjoy!

Google+ : Product Review

UPDATE: I came across this hilarious Review : Google+ is dumb Give it a read and tell me what you think.

On Tuesday, June 28th 2011, Google launched its social networking site Google+. 14 days later, it’s population has exploded to an estimated 10 million users while still in the invites-only testing phase.

It’s dubbed ‘The Facebook Killer’ and I say that’s a good run despite Facebook having an estimated 750 million users today. Google has worked hard to correct it’s mistakes on their past developments such as Orkut, Buzz and Wave.

Nairobi National Park

On Sunday, 27^th March 2011 at 6am I was at the Nairobi National Park. I had made plans with Dr. @paulakahumbu to join in the Nairobi park game count but after revisiting the email I realized I’d gotten the date wrong! Maybe it was the anxiety. Gates were opened and after a couple of consultations I got a ranger and entrance for a self drive.

Camera in hand, we changed roles and Wachira took up driving. He knows the park like the back of his hand. A couple of minutes into the park we were welcomed by this magnificent sunrise. (click to view actual size)

There were all sorts of sounds; birds twittering, crickets were creaking and the wind chimed through the grass and acacia trees. It was amazing, true surround soundtrack of nature.

A Day at Dar es Salaam

Fly 540 launched its Dar es Salaam, Nairobi direct flights on September 20, 2010.

I was invited to the inauguration cocktail party that introduced the 7-flights-a-week route straight to Dar, from Nairobi. Everything went according to plan aboard the CRJ 100 Jet.

We took off JKIA at 1030Hrs and I was honored to be seated next to the airline’s CEO, Mr. Don Smith. He’s a very cool guy and I have to note that he is putting a lot of effort to meet the passengers comfort needs as well as ease of travel, financially.

The flight was smooth and we touched down Dar es Salaam International airport at 1145Hrs. Many have had crazy experiences but other than the usual turbulence that’s expected along the coastal strip, the CRJ 100 was easy on the eardrums! The 1 hr 15 min flight makes it possible to attend business meetings across the boarder, in advantage to the East African Community trade.

Announcing The Kenya Blog Contest WINNERS!!!

This has be a successful month for bloggers in Kenya. Self Definition hosted The Kenya Blog Contest. Polls were open for two and a half weeks where 42 contestants were classifies in three categories. Art • Beauty • Action. The response was amazing and flawless. I hereby announce the three winning blogs.

Art Award:	Raymondchepkwony [462 Votes/899]
Beauty Award:	The Fashion Notebook [173 Votes/328]
Action Award:	The Greatrnk [542 Votes/1,694]

(Poll results available here)

There have been requests for an award ceremony. The journey doesn’t end here; I have put together a team to form an East African Bloggers Community. We have rolled up our sleeves, synced our minds and preparations are underway for the next BIG online buzz!!! The event will Award the above winners and launch EABloggers. Progress and application procedures will be communicated by @eGichomo on twitter.

Congratulations to the winners. Thanks to the voters, your feedback is welcome below…

Welcome to The Kenya Blog Contest

Response to the earlier post was overwhelming. Thank you for the applications. After review of each and every blog, I hereby present you with the following Awards:

Art ∙ Beauty ∙ Action

Art Award: Recognition and appreciation of poetry. Creativity, choice of words, originality and show of talent.

Beauty Award: Best layout, design, cool features, attractiveness and finest integration of themes and magnificence.

Action Award: Pursuit of ingenuity. Most interactive and frequent in content update.

Introducing The Contestants: [Move your cursor over the ‘Blog Name’ to see a screen shot of the blog]

The Kenya Blog Contest

Blogging is slowly becoming a Kenyan voice where bloggers express their thoughts and opinions freely across the internet. Topics range from News, Business, Tourism, Art, Fashion, Hobbies etc. However, it is difficult to trace a blog to add to your RSS reader or bookmark it in your browser. The aim of this Online Blog Contest is to compile blogs by giving you a brief description of the blog content (in the writer’s words) and put them in a poll where the winners will be chosen by you!

Important Dates

Voting Poll will be open on: Wednesday, 14^th July 2010.

Application for contestants will close on: Friday 16^th July 2010

The poll will close and the winner announced on: Friday 30^th July 2010

There will be one Grand winner and two runners up.

Prices for the above will be announced after voting begins.

Our Wardrobes

It had been a while since I did a post. I’m glad to be back, I’ve discovered that one way to continue writing is to open a blank word document and stare at the cursor. Well, it worked for me.

I have been thinking about Identity. How you present yourself. Your choice of style, the clothes you wear. How you walk. The drink you order and the joints you heng at.

Most of us have adopted a dress code for years. We have had a specific hair trim and groomed in a particular way. From a male point of view, this is very important. It ranges from the fragrances we wear, to the watches, shoes and belts we have and how we put it all together in different occasions. Men rarely change a certain trend.

Ladies, more often than not, dress up for other ladies to notice. It’s a competition among them and I attest to this since I’ve asked my close friends. I look forward to a lady contributing an article to feature here with a little more insight on the same. [Write to: egichomo@gmail.com]

In Search of a New ‘High’

The year is growing older and by now we have adjusted to its routine; what others refer to as ‘Order of the day’. Work, School… etc. Hate it or love it, this can be quite monotonous. We all need something to break the monotony. A way to unwind and something to look forward to other than the long holidays.

To many, this could be a night out over the weekend but I have fallen victim of this being droning too. Occasional drinking has appeared random also. I find myself having an awesome time with friends, catching up, laughing and by midnight I hit the sac. This is unlike a few years ago when I’d see the sun setting while heading out to the rave, party all night and see it rise the following morning.