Bringing African royalty to your iPad
This month we had travel and tourism on the agenda as we welcomed Indaba’s travelling band of lodge and tour operators to our iBook factory. We further joined in the Indaba craze by introducing our African Storybook services to delegates at our ICC stand. This month also saw us hosting a personalised Coffee Catchup, equipping a sales team about the challenges they will encounter in the post-PC space. It’s been an interesting month for tech-heads both in our studio and worldwide as Google made some groundbreaking announcements at Google I/O. If you’ve missed out on the live event, fear not. Simply RSVP to this month’s #OpenNight and come unpack the key developments with us.
Bringing African royalty to your iPad
We were privileged to host the official launch of wildlife photographers and authors, Roger and Pat de la Harpe’s first iBook, In Search of the African Lion. As founding members of the Africa Imagery division of African Storybook, Roger and Pat have had much success in the print publishing world and have now joined our team to elevate the digital publishing sector of our African Storybook division.
In Search of the African Lion, originally published in print, was re-envisioned into an interactive iBook. The book unravels the richly illustrated tale of one of Africa’s most majestic and iconic creature – the lion. This well-researched book shares the fascinating history of the lion whilst also exploring issues threatening their current conservation and protection.
The launch was well-received among our Indaba guests, who joined us in celebrating Roger and Pat’s achievement as well as enjoyed a brief tour of our iBook ‘factory’, discovering the many features of an iBook and the potential it has in liberating your content.
Touring the tourism hub
This year, our African Storybook team joined industry friends Value Safaris at their Indaba stand to share our story and value to the travel and tourism industry. Our team met with many industry leaders, gaining more insight into the industry and sharing suggestions to help boost their digital strategy.
African Storybook is changing the way African stories are shaped and presented, ensuring that storytellers can share their stories in a way they are proud of, whether they’re photographers, videographers, authors or service providers in need of liberating their content. As a multifaceted entity, our team can tackle any content obstacle you might encounter. Whether you want a simple eBook/iBook, need assistance in conceptualising something truly interactive or need to empower your sales and marketing team with the ultimate marketing collateral, we can assist you with a personalised app for your organisation or help get the content you’ve envisioned into global book stores.
If you’d like to get a better understanding of how we can re-imagine your content, download some of our latest additions to the African Storybook library.
Post-PC insights over a morning cuppa
One of our key organisational aims is to provide an educational platform where we can share our learnings and assist our community members with leveraging post-PC technology in their personal and professional lives.
This month, we had a sales team from a major telco join us at our offices to learn a bit more about what post-PC means and how post-PC devices and support can enhance their business strategy. Our CEO and Lead Strategist, Anice Hassim led this discussion together with our Operations Director, Bevan Andriés and Business Development executive, Paul Watson. The session explored how comprehensive digital strategies are necessary all the way from infrastructure to support, from tailored application development to digital publishing and from design to marketing.
If you’d like to engage with us in a personalised session covering an industry or topics based on your needs, drop us a mail or call us on 031 566 8000.
Interesting insights
Google I/O 2013 is all about cleaning up the mess and filling in the gaps – Time Tech
15 May 2013
Google’s I/O conference keynote was, in many ways, the opposite of what we expected. Google did not announce any new hardware – no new Nexus 4 phone, upgraded Nexus 7 tablet or new Chromebook – nor did the company reveal a new version of Android. Wilder rumors about an “X Phone” from Motorola and an 11-in. (28cm) tablet from Samsung did not materialize. Instead, Google spent about half of its annual developers conference focusing on, well, developers, and the tools they need to make better apps… more
Here Are The Commands You Need To Gain Root Access To Your Google Glass – TechCrunch
16 May 2013
There has been a lot of talk about rooting your Glass device, or if it’s even possible. Well, it is. During a Hacking Google Glass session today, the team shared the steps to go through to gain root access for your Glass device. Only the Fastboot tool for UNIX works, but there have been issues with using the OS X one… more
Intel CEO Draws ‘History of the Computer Industry’ in 1 Chart – Mashable
16 May 2013
As I wrapped up the last interview with Intel’s outgoing CEO, Paul Otellini, formy feature on his legacy, he strode over to the whiteboard in the conference room. As he began to draw, he joked that he was showing me the “history of the computer industry in one chart.” He’d shown this chart to Intel’s management in 2005, two years before the iPhone, and long before smartphone ubiquity… more
Upcoming eventsGeek Patrol Coffee Catchup
Geek Patrol invites interested business leaders every month to touch base with them on the latest technical developments.
For info, email events@geekpatrol.co.za
#OpenNight
Are you a dev, designer, tech enthusiast or just an all-round geek? Join us for our monthly #OpenNights where #SiliconBeach shares their learnings with one another over some beer and pizza.
For more info, email opennight@immedia.co.za
Tweets from the team@RogueCode
14 May 2013
Excited to announce that I have been made a @nokiadeveloper Champion! http://blog.roguecode.co.za
@bevtheledge
14 May 2013
BlackBerry Messenger on iPhone and Android: A Big Move Made Too Late? – John Paczkowski – Mobile – AllThingsD: http://allthingsd.com
@kevinleosmith
15 May 2013
“@ReutersScience: Scientists create human stem cells through cloning http://reut.rs
#FB this is big
Get in touchJoin the revolution
We’re looking for iOS, Android & web developers as well as app & iBook designers to join our ‘appy tappy tribe in Durban. Come and show us what you can do.To come through for an interview, email careers@immedia.co.za
Strategy Workshop
Would you like to learn how apps can transform your business? Have an app idea, but not sure how to monetise your product?Book a session with our team: info@immedia.co.za
Instagrams from the team
It’s an iBookCake! @RogerdelaHarpe’s In Search of the African Lion hit the iBookStore this week.
Doing something wonderful
This month, we sadly say goodbye to someone who has been an important thread in our lives at immedia for six years.
Kishyr Ramdial, our lead iOS dev, has been at the heart of our breakneck journey over the recent past. He leaves us to tackle a new phase in his career and he will carry all he has learned with him and we shall carry all he has taught, with us.
We are sure he will make us and Durban proud. One of the insights that inspire us at immedia is Robert Noyce’s quotation at the Intel museum: “Don’t be encumbered by history, go off and do something wonderful.”
We are sure Kish will do something wonderful.
From Anice and the entire immedia team. Thank you and good luck, Kish!